Tourism Profile in the South East

Hotel Supply

The 2003 hotel sector study for East Kent found that Folkestone has a total of 23 hotels offering 1,240 rooms. 85% (1059) of these rooms are in Folkestone, the remainder being in Hythe and New Romney.

The results of a more recent analysis of the tourism sector in Folkestone can be downloaded here.

Folkestone Hotel Supply — by Standard — 2003
Standard Estabs Rooms % of Rooms Av. Size (Rooms)
4 star 1 100 8 100
3 star 3 182 15 61
2 star 4 519 42 130
Budget 1 79 6 79
Country Inns - - - -
Diamond Rated/ Lower Grade Non-inspected 14 360 29 26
Total Supply 23 1240 100.0 54

The area has one 4 star hotel, the Imperial at Hythe, a destination resort hotel operated by Marstons. There are a further three 3 star hotels in Folkestone and its surround, and together this 3 and 4 star supply accounts for 23% of rooms. There is only one budget hotel here, the Premier Travel Inn at Folkestone, which has been expanded to 79 rooms. The remainder of the stock is in 2 star and lower grade hotels. One hotel in particular dominates the supply — The Burstin located near the harbour in Folkestone, which has 484 rooms.

Folkestone Hotels — by Size and Location — 2003
Hotel Location Rooms Grading
Clifton (Best Western) Folkestone 80 3 Star
Quality (Burlington) Folkestone 60 3 Star
Wards Folkestone 10 2 star
Sandgate Folkestone 15 2 star
Grand Burstin Folkestone 481 2 star
Premier Travel Inn Folkestone 79 Budget
Carlton Folkestone 69 Lower grade
Royal Norfolk Folkestone 10 Lower grade
Langhorne Gardens Folkestone 29 Lower grade
Lismore Folkestone 38 Lower grade
Portland Folkestone 12 Lower grade
B? Folkestone 12 Lower grade
Salisbury Folkestone 50 Lower grade
South Cliff Folkestone 75 Lower grade
Chilton House Folkestone 16 Lower grade
Wearboy Folkestone 10 Lower grade
Windsor Folkestone 10 Lower grade
Hythe Imperial (Marston) Hythe 100 4 Star
Stade Court Hythe 42 3 Star
Waters Edge Hythe 9 Country Inn
Swan Hythe 9 Country Inn
Broadacre New Romney 10 2 star
Romney Bay House New Romney 11 Lower grade

Hotel Demand

Average annual room occupancies for 3 star hotels in Folkestone are 51%, with weekday occupancies stronger than weekends and Saturday the strongest weekend night. Occupancies peak between May and September. Average room rates for Folkestone 3 star hotels are around £35. The business mix varies between hotels, with some principally serving the business market and others biased heavily towards leisure. The overall mix is 60% business and 40% leisure.

The performance of 3 and 4 star hotels in Hythe exceeds that of Folkestone, averaging 65%. Friday and Saturday occupancies are high for both hotels especially in the summer; weekday occupancies are consistently high for one of these hotels. Average room rates in Hythe 3 and 4 star hotels are amongst the highest in Kent East, averaging £75. The market mix is 60-70% business and 30-40% leisure. The residential conference market is a key market for the Imperial; Pfizer is a key corporate client for Hythe hotels; leisure breaks and weddings are also important markets.

There is only one budget hotel in Folkestone currently, the Premier Travel Inn. This hotel has expanded to 79 rooms to accommodate demand from both the business market and leisure/cross-Channel/Disneyland visitors.

Hotel Development Opportunities

Folkestone is currently undertaking a major regeneration programme along the seafront as well as redeveloping the retail heart of the town. Significant investment in the town’s conference and function centre, Leas Cliff Hall, should also help to grow leisure, event and conference markets.

In terms of development potential, there is scope for:

 

Potential Hotel Devlopment Sites

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

  1. Folkestone Seafront and Harbour.

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