A team from the independent hotel management company Redefine|BDL Hotels’ (RBH) is on top of the world after raising thousands of pounds for charity (Make-A-Wish) – by building a hotel room at the summit of Ben Nevis.
Its property team raised more than £12,000 for children’s charity Make-A-Wish ® UK, after battling through awful weather to set up a hotel room on the highest mountain in the British Isles, after nine months of preparation.
As well as constructing the room on reaching the summit, the 12 intrepid adventurers had to scale the 4,413 feet with all of the equipment required for the build – as well as provisions for the trek itself. The build represents RBH’s most ambitious fundraising activity to date in aid of its official charity partner – for whom it has pledged to raise £100,000 by the end of 2017. Thanks to the property team’s efforts, the firm is on course to beat its target, which equates to 28 magical wishes granted to enrich the lives of children and young people fighting life-threatening conditions.
Ross Morrow, RBH’s Chief Development Officer participated in the climb and build. He said, “We’re thrilled to have pulled off what was a rather ambitious piece of fundraising activity – not only climbing Britain’s highest peak in awful conditions, but then setting about building a hotel room at the top before taking it all back down again! It just goes to show you really can do anything when you put your mind to it, especially for a cause as wonderful as Make-A-Wish UK.
“The entire team dug deep and did a fantastic job on the day, remaining motivated and upbeat throughout the challenge. And we can’t thank enough those who helped us source the equipment needed for the build as well as those who donated so generously. We never expected to raise over £12,000, so needless to say we’re delighted.”
While the team above were busy raising cash for charity its employer Redefine|BDL Hotels (RBH) revealed it had added 26 hotels – and more than 3,000 rooms – to its hotel portfolio including Scottish hotel The Westerwood Hotel & Golf Resort at Cumbernauld. the company agreed a deal with Aprirose to assume management of its portfolio. The hotels, with a combined turnover in excess of £190 million, were acquired from Qhotels by Aprirose in a £525 million deal. The deal confirms RBH as the UK’s largest independent hotel management company. Helder Pereira, Chief Executive Officer of Redefine|BDL Hotels, said, “This is another landmark addition to the Redefine|BDL Hotels portfolio.”
He continued, “This acquisition will increase the Redefine|BDL Hotels portfolio to more than 75 hotels, and is in line with the company’s growth targets within the UK.”
Chief Executive Officer of Aprirose, Manish Gudka, said, “We have established a successful partnership with Redefine|BDL Hotels, which was appointed both on our Hampton by Hilton London Docklands and Mercure Bristol Holland House hotel assets, so the new properties will be operated to the same excellent standards.”