Meetings Matter at Thwaites Hotels

Thwaites Hotels is undertaking a complete transformation of its event and conference spaces, as it keeps up with the changing needs of business meetings.

The company, which has six four-star hotels across the country with meeting and event spaces, has seen requirements of meeting organisers change over recent years – with more demand for relaxed spaces, break-out areas and alternative catering options.

As a result, it is refurbishing its 90+ meeting rooms to provide more flexibility and inspiring atmospheres. Chris Hill, Thwaites Hotels Operations Director, explained: “The whole nature of meetings has changed drastically from when we first started offering meeting spaces over 30 years ago and we’ve had to change with it. As a result we are re-imagining our meeting spaces and the results so far have been fantastic - it’s a real step away from our previous style.

“The reasons for booking space is so varied - from formal board meetings or large conferences to smaller huddles and informal get-togethers, there is much more demand for audience participation, both from within meeting rooms and from external live feeds; and people want different looks and feels that can help keep attendees energised, engaged and inspired.
“We’ve got the space to offer all of this with various size rooms, patios, terraces and outdoor areas and we’ve taken a long, hard look at how our business guests can make best use of that space and we’re really excited by how we’re taking that forward.”

Thwaites is refurbishing all of its meeting rooms as part of a multi-million pound project, improving the look through new lighting and upholstery, upgrading technology and adding an adaptive nature to their style.

Aztec Hotel & Spa has already had excellent feedback about its new multi-functional meeting rooms. They have been designed with flexibility in mind, so not only can the layout be changed but also all the furniture – from comfortable seating, beanbag chairs, tall tables for standing meetings right through to a traditional boardroom set up or even private dining. And for those who want to have an even more creative setting, there are further options, including synthetic grass and picnic benches!

Rachel Wootton, Interior Designer at Thwaites, explained: “We wanted to up the ante – this is all about making meeting spaces more flexible, more relaxed, more comfortable and more memorable. We want to help people feel inspired – we want them to say ‘they do meeting rooms really well at Thwaites’.

“By putting attention to detail into our design and creating an inspiring location, we will make people feel valued and encourage creativity.”

And it’s not just interiors that are being developed. Kettering Park is making more use of its external features which have previously been popular with leisure parties. They now offer private dining for corporate clients in a beautiful outdoor gazebo with garden views – and are expecting the offer of a private BBQ to be popular during the summer months.
That’s not the only thing changing, as the company is also refreshing its popular Conference Café, where guests can step out of their meeting at any time and find something different on offer.

Chris Hill explained: “As with changing nature of meetings, there has been a shift in what people want to eat and drink at events. We’ve been tweaking our menus and treats to reflect this, so we now have more smoothies and salad options and in the last year we started to develop street food-style menus which are proving popular.
“But we’re now looking at completely refreshing the whole concept and are just putting the final touches to the plans. It really is a great year for our conference and events teams because we’ve so much investment going into this area of the business. We’re looking forward to unveiling it to our guests.”

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