Tourism Profile in the South East

Hotel Supply

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.

The results of a more recent analysis of the sector conducted in 2006 can be viewed in this document.

Ashford Hotel Supply — by Standard — 2003
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.

Ashford Hotels — 2003
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

Hotel Demand

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.

Hotel Development Opportunities

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:

Potential Hotel Development Sites

A recent study conducted by Locate in Kent identified the following potential sites:

  1. Former B&Q site, Beaver Road 
  2. McArthur Glen
  3. Waterbrook Park
  4. Elwick place

More information for hotel developers in Ashford can be found on the Ashford page of the Locate in Kent website's 'Hotel Sites' pages.