Daniel Thwaites is refreshing its brand structure to reflect its changing business better. Shire Hotels & Spas and Inns of Character, both subsidiaries of Daniel Thwaites, will be brought under the Thwaites brand.
While the organisation has been traditionally best known for its pubs and brewing, these only make up about half of the business today - as it also has a growing collection of hotels, inns and lodges.
'Most of our guests won't realise that Shire Hotels or maybe even our Inns of Character are part of Daniel Thwaites,' said Rick Bailey, Chief Executive Officer at Daniel Thwaites. 'Both brands operate independently in the marketplace and do so very successfully. However we want our guests to understand all about us and to come and find us right across our properties. So this is about being clearer about where they can get the same, great Thwaites experience, and hopefully they may be more inclined to visit some of our other properties if they are aware they are part of the same company.'
To simplify the brand for customers, 'Shire Hotels' and 'Inns of Characters' are to come under the Thwaites brand umbrella, with a single website selling all its guest rooms, restaurants, conference and spa facilities.
Bailey explained, 'It's the ideal way for us to bring clarity and simplicity. Our customers won't notice any difference when they visit our hotels, inns or lodges as we are not changing the guest experience or our products. However we are creating a stronger platform to sell our services.'
There will also be added benefits for staff, as the brand unification will lead to more consistency in managing and developing people. Of particular interest to the company is creating a way for people to move about the company more easily to develop their careers across quite varied operations.
A new Director of People and Development, Jo Carlin, was recently appointed to develop leadership programmes and a series of learning academies that will integrate roles and properties more as well as providing development opportunities for more staff.
Bailey added, 'It's a really exciting time for Thwaites, we are expanding by investing in new properties right across the country, on top of substantial improvement programmes taking place in our existing estate and some pilot concepts. All of this is creating new jobs and development opportunities for our staff.
'The company has come a long way since Daniel Thwaites left his family's farm in the Lake District to make a new life for himself. He built up his brewery with an eye for quality and a generous blend of innovation, craftsmanship and warm hospitality.
'We now have a growing collection of pubs, inns, hotels and spas and we think that our continuing success is as a result of staying true to his principles.
'We are proudly continuing the journey he started and are planting the seeds for the next century of success.'