We chat to the new owners of Stone’s Crown Hotel

Over the summer, Stone’s Crown Hotel was sold to the Brilliant Hotel Group – owners of 7 hotels across the UK, including brands such as Ramada and Trademark Collection by Wyndham. We wanted to hear about their plans to restore the Crown Hotel back to its former glory.

[box type=”info” align=”alignleft” class=”” width=””]Update/Correction: 18th October 2022 – Although this article refers to the Crown Hotel as having been sold and having new owners, it’s now been confirmed that Brilliant Hospitality have actually taken on a lease of the hotel, bar and restaurant.[/box]

Having seen the hotel fall into disrepair and decline since we came to Stone in 2005, we were keen to hear what the new team have planned to restore the hotel to the gem that it was.

We asked the new management team about who they were and what their experience was in the hotel industry. The team told A Little Bit of Stone:

“Firstly, we are really excited to be the new owners of a hotel that is steeped in such history and that’s been central to life in Stone for decades.

We are the Brilliant Hotel Group, from Manchester, and we have a group of seven hotels which operate under a number of famous brands, including Ramada, Trademark Collection by Wyndham and OYO Hotels.

We have over 20 years of experience in the hotel industry, and when the opportunity arose to acquire the Crown Hotel in Stone, we knew we had what it takes to bring it back into the heart of the town.”

Having had a look around and a chat with the new team, I was keen to learn what they’d already done and what their plans were to re-energise the hotel. The obvious elephant in the room was the awful black sheeting that wraps around the roofline of the hotel; the team told us:

“We know that people have had to endure the out-of-character black sheeting that was put in as a temporary roofing repair many years ago. We are currently liaising with our team of builders to draw up plans for the removal of the sheeting and to carry out the permanent repair that the hotel deserves.

The hotel has a Grade II* listing, which means that it’s been classified as a “particularly important building” for Stone and the UK’s heritage. Due to the heritage listing, we must take special care when tackling these works, including liaising with the heritage teams when it comes to finalising our plans.

Rest assured it is our aim to bring back the hotel to a standard that’s fitting for such a historic building.”

The team went on to explain what they have been able to make progress on:

“Since taking over the hotel, it was immediately obvious that the restaurant that had been closed for a number of years was going to be the first thing we could tackle. We have now re-opened the restaurant with our own brand Krave Kitchen, and we already have a number of food options available including a Mexican menu and Sunday Roast.

We kick off the day with our breakfast offering with our “7am Somewhere” menu. This is served until 5pm and is full of traditional breakfast items as well as more brunch-orientated options. The menu offers a wide variety of dining options that we hope has something for everyone!

From mid-day until 4pm our Afternoon Tea menu is available, providing a selection of sandwiches and sweet treats and we also have something with an Indian twist!

For evening meals, we are delighted to bring Mexican dining back to Stone with our Super Rico Restaurant. It’s proved a real hit since we re-opened and we are looking forward to welcoming more people from Stone through the restaurant doors.

We are pleased to say that from the beginning of October, we will also be starting up a Sunday Lunch option. We also have exclusive offers including Two for One on selected items as the launch offer.”

When we visited the hotel, it felt warm and welcoming, with a nod to its historic past. The Jervis “Library” Bar offers a range of soft and alcoholic drinks, with offers throughout the week. The wood-panelled Crown Coffee Shop serves a selection of pastries and cakes, as well as hot drinks for you to enjoy. It’s a nice environment for working, meeting friends or just people-watching as people pass up and down the High Street.

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Aside from the dining options, the team told us about their other plans.

“The hotel has a number of different room types and configurations, from standard rooms to deluxe suites – in a range of layouts from single, double and family. These rooms will gradually be refurbished and updated in line with our plans for the hotel.

We also have dedicated function and event spaces, and we are looking forward to welcoming groups and events to the hotel. We have the Oak Room, Restaurant and Ball Room which can accommodate 10, 60 and 150 people, respectively. Again these rooms are in our programme of work to refurbish and bring up to date.”

With big ambitions and a big hill to climb, we asked the team what can people expect from the new look Crown Hotel in Stone; they told us:

“As hoteliers, for us, the guest experience is the key to success. To us, every guest is just as meaningful and valuable, regardless if it’s their first time visiting or if they are a regular visitor.

We strive to provide a superior service to all the guests in all our hotels, and this pledge means that we want to hit 100% customer satisfaction all of the time.

Our staff are key to delivering on these promises; we look for the best in staff, employing where we can experienced team members who can take charge of situations to ensure that our guests have the best possible stay.

We are looking forward to the challenge of restoring Stone’s Crown Hotel to its former glory and in doing so, creating the most welcoming and affordable hotel with all the services and amenities in Stone.”

It’s clear from our discussions with the team that there are big challenges and also big plans for the future of the hotel. In a recent survey that we ran about the town, there were numerous comments about the hotel needing investment, so it’s good to finally hear it’s on its way!

Before we left, we asked about any job opportunities; at the time of writing, they are:

• Guest Service Assistant (Part-time / Full-time)
• Housekeeping Assistant (Part-time / Full-time)
• Night Porter (Part-Time / Full-time)To find out more, you can check out the hotel’s new website at – crownhotelstone.com

You can also find them on social media – Instagram: crownhotel_stone and Facebook: The Crown Hotel