The 2003 hotel sector study for Ashford found that Ashford has a total of 17 hotels with just over 850 rooms; almost 90% of this supply (10 hotels, 760 rooms) is in Ashford itself, the rest in the surrounding rural area or focused on Tenterden.
The full breakdown of information can be found below.
| Standard | Estabs | Rooms | % of Rooms | Av. Size of Hotel (Rooms) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 star | 2 | 263 | 31 | 132 |
| 3 star | 4 | 229 | 27 | 57 |
| 2 star | 1 | 34 | 4 | 34 |
| Budget | 3 | 232 | 27 | 77 |
| Country Inns | 2 | 19 | 2 | 10 |
| Lower Grade | 5 | 78 | 9 | 16 |
| Total Supply | 17 | 855 | 100.0 | 50 |
Over half of the supply (58%) is of 3 or 4 star standard; the 4 star supply includes the luxury country house hotel Eastwell Manor. There are three budget hotels, operated by Premier Travel Inn and Travelodge, the latter being a large unit over 100 rooms.
| Hotel | Location | Rooms | Grading |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eastwell Manor | Ashford | 62 | 4 Star Country House |
| Ashford International | Ashford | 201 | 4 Star |
| Holiday Inn (Central) | Ashford | 103 | 3 Star |
| Holiday Inn (North) | Ashford | 92 | 3 Star |
| Pilgrims Rest | Ashford | 34 | 2 star |
| Premier Travel Inn | Ashford | 60 | Budget |
| Premier Travel Inn Central | Ashford | 60 | Budget |
| Travelodge | Ashford | 112 | Budget |
| County | Ashford | 14 | Lower Grade |
| Croft Hotel | Ashford | 22 | Lower Grade |
| London Beach Golf Hotel | Tenterden | 24 | 3 Star |
| Little Silver Country Hotel | Tenterden | 10 | 3 Star |
| Collina House | Tenterden | 15 | Lower Grade |
| White Lion Inn | Tenterden | 15 | Lower Grade |
| New Flying Horse | Wye | 10 | Country Inn |
| Royal Oak Inn | Charing | 9 | Country Inn |
Ashford’s 3 and 4 star hotels operate at around 65%, but some hotels perform considerably above this (up to 78%). Weekday occupancies are high (range 72-90% and Saturdays are good throughout the year (80-90%). Average achieved room rates excluding Eastwell Manor are around £50 (Eastwell is considerably above this). The market mix is typically 70-75% business, 25-30% leisure. Residential conferences account for 5-14% of business. Some hotels take overseas groups and stop overs to and from the Channel Tunnel; weddings are the other important leisure market.
Budget hotel performance is strong, with occupancy averaging 82.5% and growing. The mix of business is 40-50% business and 50-60% leisure. Ashford companies, contractors and stop-offs en route to the Channel Tunnel are the main markets. Most hotels are declining significant amounts of business during school holidays.
Ashford is an identified growth hub in the South East Regional Plan. This means the town will be a focus for population growth and associated investment/economic growth. The completion of the High Speed Rail Link will also decrease journey times between London and Ashford and help improve accessibility. These factors, together with the levels of business being denied in certain sectors of the hotel market here point to an opportunity for further hotel development.
The immediate opportunities are for the development of:
A recent study conducted by Locate in Kent identified the following potential sites: