Our first blog post interview of the year is with Ben Young, Managing Director of The Falmouth. This iconic hotel on the Falmouth seafront has recently been purchased by The Cornwall Hotel Collection and so now Ben oversees both The Greenbank and The Falmouth. Those have to be the two most historic hotels in Falmouth and to add a lovely touch to the tale, Ben used to manage The Falmouth many years ago when it was part of the Richardson group so it’s a real return home for him and we have to say, it was wonderful to see him back on home turf again. Only this time, the hotel is looking so much better. Without further ado, let’s hear from Ben…
What made you take on The Falmouth?
I have known the hotel for all my life and felt genuinely sad that it hadn’t been upkept. It was launched as a prestigious landmark Victorian hotel and it feels like as soon as the Victorian era died, the hotel went as well. There have been so many mistakes made in its journey such as putting a block of flats at the back and various changes of ownership. Essentially it’s been neglected for the last 20 years, let’s be honest! We all have family stories connected with the hotel, so many of us have an affinity with it for loads of reasons (this is true - we held our Heather & Lay Christmas lunch at the hotel in December and we all have different memories of The Falmouth and stories to tell). It had been on the market a long time and the price was optimistic but I knew if we bided our time - we were in the right position, and it was the right time at the right price. We knew what we were heading into and figured as a long term project resurrecting this beautiful hotel which will outlive all of us is a really important thing to do for Falmouth. We wanted to keep the hotel in local ownership in Falmouth. Keeping it accessible to all, not making it 5 star, but making it available to everyone and using all the different aspects of the business from a locals lunch where you can enjoy 3 courses for £24 to a wedding for £100 per person. Somewhere to enjoy local leisure and proper Sunday lunches to tourists coming in and helping the town. A holistically good thing for Falmouth.
How does this tie in with the other hotels in the collection and were you worried about The Falmouth taking business from established sister hotel The Greenbank?
I wasn’t worried, I view the hotels as inherently different. One is cosier and has an evolved real waterfront local connection. The local legacy with The Working Boat and the other hotel built as a tourist hotel. The Falmouth was one of the first railway hotels opened in 1865 and we plan to restore and preserve the original nature of the Falmouth. Someone described it as the fashionable elder auntie of the greenbank. They are each unique with a different vibe and appeal. There is a big enough market in our local community as well as further afield to sustain both of them at both ends of the town. And the busier I can make the hotels, the better for the town, the local community and shops.
There’s such a synergy, at the heart of the community – it’s very community centred. We have a town which helps the businesses and provides the community hub. Each of the hotels in Truro, Falmouth and Redruth – they all have their own identity and town. Sure, they all do weddings, afternoon teas, tourism, leisure etc but they are each a slightly different shape. The Alverton is big on weddings and events, there are more tours at Penventon - it’s very corporate, situated next to the biggest industrial sites and so central. Falmouth is unique in location – the two hotels here cover both coasts of Falmouth. The cosy harbour retreat and the beachfront grand seafront holiday experience. Everyone in here today (on the day of the interview) is local – re-engaging with what The Falmouth offers and loving it - it’s wonderful. I’m not saying we get everything right all the time but we certainly try.
How is it for you as we know The Falmouth is a special place for you personally?
I’m spending more time at The Falmouth. It’s still on a trajectory. The Falmouth is the one that needs the attention. I absolutely love the hotel - I love all the hotels but this one is special to me.
My late grandfather was on the board of directors in 1950. They had The Hotel Bristol which was the most popular at the time, so he was invited to join here. On the day we bought it my Maintenance Manager showed me some paperwork from this time. My family's hotel in Newquay shut eventually and got sold for redevelopment which breaks my heart. I became General Manager here from 2010 onwards and worked with Jane here as events manager (Wedding and Events Manager Jane Williams has remained close to Ben’s side, travelling to work alongside him at The Greenbank and now returning to The Falmouth with Ben). The hotel owner kept promoting me and I ended up looking after all the hotels. Then he woke up one day and decided he could do it by himself. So I went to The Greenbank but it’s lovely to be back here.
What work have you done and what is the vision for the future?
We fixed the roof and filled the cracks, fixed the broken windows, and refurbished the ground floor. We did a light touch refurb in the leisure club. We got all new gym equipment, a new jacuzzi and sauna and we have re-engaged with the membership. Falmouth needs an affordable, local pool and we wanted to offer that. We are currently working on the bedrooms - we are putting new bathrooms in every single room and there is lovely old wooden furniture that we are going to preserve and keep, but making lots of changes as well. We want to reinstate the heritage that’s been lost with an awareness of today's market. It’s a big old project. We have 71 rooms and every single one needs work.
So far we have done 3. We have 5 being worked on this month then 4 at a time being worked on. The first floor will be done by late summer. We have been working all of this time fixing things you can’t see. We’ve replaced every fire door. We’ve added a new bar in the restaurant because the flow of functions and events was a bit disjointed with people queuing at the main bar so we added a new bar. We have new carpets and lighting and have worked with the same interior designer as The Greenbank to get our lounges feeling as authentic and beautiful as possible (our Marketing Manager was trying to find out where the stunning sofa is from, each item is so elegant and well considered). The paneling and the coving is still original and the hotel has beautiful wooden floors, The aim is always to preserve, enhance and resurrect what we can to retain the original charm.
A particular highlight is the nicknamed “Dog Lounge” because of the space. We have more space than the others to offer this. We have lots of areas. It’s ideal for local people enjoying a dog walk to pop in and enjoy the hotel. There is a button to press for service with dog biscuits as well. The Heather & Lay pooches would be impressed!. We have the same group Executive Head Chef Nick Hodges. There is that sense of familiarity across all 3 hotels. They each have their own menu approach, and each have their differences but the same quality, same suppliers and guidance from Nick and his team. Each Senior Chef has worked with us for a long time. Even the head chef, Tim Pile, had worked with us in various guises over the years and that sense of relationship is really important to us.
So what’s next?
We’re in a good place and we feel there may be opportunities for further expansion in Cornwall alongside further reinvestment in the hotels. We have untapped projects, bringing Greenbank up to a more modern spec with windows, insulation and balconies.
What would you like to see next for Falmouth?
For the docks to get everything they’ve asked for - to remove and add new berthing for larger cruise ships and to expand what they can do. Currently lots of visitors have to be ferried in so they stay on the boat. The MMO are liaising directly with A&P and Falmouth Harbour and I hope the town gets that. We need our high street to thrive, not just survive. It is so difficult talking to pubs and shops, seeing how hard it is to be viable. To be a legitimate solvent business. We are in an ever evolving business landscape and we have to keep adjusting the sails. If we can get more people to Falmouth it would be incredible. We did 4,000 covers for December, it’s been really busy which we are so grateful for.
I would love to thank the community for their support. We have been able to increase the amount of jobs and pay everyone above minimum wage. We are only as good as the feedback we receive and we love to hear from our customers. Everyone is welcome here for a drink or a meal. It’s a really welcoming place, there’s no dress code. It’s for local people to enjoy so please come, see what we’ve done to the place and have a look at the new look and feel of The Falmouth, we think you will love it.
Thank you so much Ben, we think they will as well. It’s been wonderful for us to visit. Jess, our Marketing Manager who interviewed Ben today, used to work with him over a decade ago and Rio, our Sales Negotiator's mother works at The Falmouth as well. It is really lovely to have these connections with the hotel and it’s such a slice of local history for the town. Interviewing Ben, he was refreshingly honest, down to earth, humble and hospitable – just as a Hotel Manager should be. Visit the hotel or keep up with their local news and events on Instagram @thefalmouthhotel
