Grand Hotel plans to convert guest house into staff accommodation

Monday 25 March 2019

A hotel chain has put forward plans seeking to convert a former Havre des Pas guest house into accommodation for staff of the Grand Hotel.

If accepted, the proposals by Handpicked Hotels would see the 12-bed Bayview guest house turned into staff quarters, with the hotel offering minibus transfer to staff.

The Grand Hotel already owns accommodation on Pierson Road, but owners say they do not “adequately cater” for the hotel current demands.

“This problem is by no means specific to the Grand Hotel, and forms part of a general island-wide issue within the Tourism-industry,” the Design Statement submitted by Riva Architects as part of the application explained. 

It is not clear if the issues mentioned by Hand Picked Hotels relate to the hotel staff struggling to find accommodation in the island. Hand Picked Hotels have refused to comment at this early stage of the Planning process.

Pictured: The guest house is just a short walk from the beach. 

They say they previously tried buying other small hotels or guest houses to alleviate these issues but say that “for various reasons” these attempts were not successful. 

After researching the accommodation market “thoroughly” the owners of the Grand Hotel set their sights on the Bayview Guest House, located at 12 Havre des Pas, which they say could serve as an “invaluable resource to their flagship hotel".

They are seeking the authorisation to transform the 12-bed registered guest house and its two-bedroom managers’ flat and staff suite into staff accommodation for the Grand Hotel, with the help of Riva Architects.

“The facilities offered by the guest house are imminently suitable for the staff requirements of the Grand Hotel,” the Design Statement notes.  

Pictured: The inside of the guest house.

The existing communal rooms “could readily be used” by staff while the bar area could become a “TV snug area”. The basement located below the communal kitchen will be turned into a laundry area for the staff to use.

Staff residing there will also have access to the rear courtyard, while being in close proximity to “arguably one of the last remaining St. Helier beach areas”.

While the guest house is just over a mile away from the Grand, Hand Picked Hotels will offer minibus transfers to their staff, using vehicles they already own, to ensure the transport between the two locations is “sustainable” and does not generate excessive traffic.

They will also provide bicycle storage in the semi-basement.

Pictured: The Grand Hotel is just over a mile away from the hotel. 

The hotel owners have requested the Planning Committee support their “change of use” application warning that if they can’t “supplement their current staff accommodation provision”, they would “struggle to achieve the levels of service standards required by their clientele".