In recent times I barely seem to have drawn breath before
another deadline comes hurtling towards me at full pelt.
Coming from a newspaper background I’m used to writing copy
on demand all day long (and I’m long enough in the tooth to remember writing
for late night final editions, with the news editor hovering near my desk
hungry for the latest political tit-bit from my notebook).
Conducting interviews for the next edition of the
Southampton magazine is certainly keeping me busy – and it’s been fascinating
so far...
This edition will showcase Southampton and give the latest
news and views on key developments such as the Cultural Quarter and Waterfront
development. It is focusing on the visitor economy and will highlight
opportunities in the cultural / leisure / retail / restaurant / tourism realm.
I’ve been lucky enough to speak to not one but two of our
leading hoteliers in the region. Robin Hutson of Hotel du Vin fame and more
recently the driving force behind the success of the luxurious Lime Wood Hotel
and the Pig hotels. He spoke to me about creating the Pig in the Wall in
Southampton and his future plans for the Pig brand.
It was also a pleasure to interview Nicholas Roach, the
chairman of the Nicholas James Group about his plans to build a striking new
five star hotel at Ocean Village. His group already runs the successful
Christchurch Harbour Hotel and the new Southampton development looks set to
raise the bar for hospitality in the city.
 |
| Artist's impression of the new five star hotel at Ocean Village |
Mr Roach is a keen advocate for Southampton, having been to
university in the city and he is looking forward to seeing his beautiful new
hotel take shape over the coming months.
The whip is being cracked and I need to get on with writing
more content – so no more time to blog at the moment.
Mind you, even though I say it myself, this latest edition
of the Southampton magazine looks set to be a really good read ... I’ll let you
know when it hits the streets.
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