Front of House: The Grove

Neil Kedward admits that he and his partner Zoe got into the hotel trade “by mistake”. Looking to escape London life, they stumbled across the Grove while in Wales visiting new family for the weekend. They discovered what Neil describes as a “rather tired old house with an odd set of outbuildings situated in a small hollow on a hillside overlooking the bustling market town of Narberth and the stunning Pembrokeshire countryside.” It was at that point that the couple decided to change their plans and made an offer on the spot for this derelict residential property that was to present them with one of the biggest challenges of their lives. Neil says: “Originally, we planned to run the venue as six self-catering cottages because at the time we had no interest or ambition to run a hotel, as we knew nothing about the hospitality sector.” He continues: “The project slowly morphed into a bed and breakfast and soon after – following lots of encouragement from friends, family and guests alike – we opened a restaurant, making us a restaurant with rooms.” Today, the Grove has become renowned as a luxurious country house hotel with one of Wales’ finest restaurants and has earned both critical acclaim and a clutch of awards including AA rosettes, Wales Tourism Awards and listings in the Michelin and Good Food Guides. For the two newcomers to the industry, it has been a baptism of fire taking on a derelict property just after the banking crisis and building the business through a recession. When they purchased the Grove in September 2007, the roof leaked, the windows were rotten and the grounds were overgrown. Neil says: “Our naivety at the time was probably our biggest strength because we were not intimidated by the challenge of the restoration project. We couldn’t have chosen a worse time and everything seemed stacked against us.” Neil says that trying to grow a quality, luxury hotel business in the south west of Wales has undoubtedly been a formidable challenge and the geographic location also made it difficult for the bank to accept that this could be a viable business. Thankfully, the bank continued to support the couple and the location has now become a key attraction of the property. Surrounded by manicured lawns, flower borders and mature trees, the 18th century hotel has scenic views of the Preseli Mountains and is just a short distance from the stunning Pembrokeshire National Park. The Georgian walled garden was transformed with the help of acclaimed architect Peter Holden and garden designer Cheryl Cummings. An ever changing palette of colours brings a new vista each season, from the carpet of bluebells in the spring and the summer house surrounded by fragrant lavender and roses, to the copper-hued leaves of the beech trees in autumn. Neil says: “The estate is a little off the beaten track and surrounded by large beech trees which makes it feel very secluded. The old house has a quirky mix of early Arts and Crafts and Jacobean details, which make it quite unique. It has a real warmth which is hard to put your finger on.” The hotel has 14 spacious bedrooms and six suites and all have been individually designed with furnishings that stay true to the original character of the house. Features such as super-king size four poster beds, Georgian fireplaces, cast-iron baths and Zoffany wallpapers are complemented by modern comforts such as underfloor heating, flat screen TVs and DVD players and walk-in showers. The hotel has also formed strong ties with local artists, galleries and antique specialists and the result is an eclectic mix of Welsh art, sculptures and furnishings. Neil describes the feel of the hotel as “easy going country traditional style with a few modern touches.” He says that guests generally come to the hotel to relax and recharge their batteries, to enjoy the coastal walks and beaches, and for the food. As a restaurant-led hotel, the focus is very much on the modern British menu created by head chef Duncan Barham, who has earned three AA rosettes for his inventive cooking. Neil believes that Pembrokeshire has a growing reputation for outstanding local produce and hopes this reputation will be further enhanced by the couple’s latest venture – Coast. This brand new restaurant will be led by head chef Will Holland and is located at Coppet Hall Beach near Saundersfoot, just five miles from the Grove. Neil says: “Will is a fabulous chef and we are pleased that Pembrokeshire will have such an exceptional talent working in the county. The Coast is in an incredible location, overlooking the beach and Carmarthen Bay in an exciting new build cedar-clad restaurant.” It will seat up to 80 diners in the spacious front terrace, 55 inside and an additional 12 diners in the small bar area. Neil adds: “Will plans to build on his previous reputation for delivering exciting food. Coast will be a restaurant that shouts simplicity delivered with plenty of imagination. Having started looking at the impressive list of local Pembrokeshire producers, Will is looking forward to creating a unique restaurant destination for the county. His lobster and line-caught sea bass will be landed just 500 yards from Saundersfoot Harbour.” The decision to branch out in a new direction has been made possible by the strong management team that Neil and Zoe have around them. Many of the employees are also new to the hospitality sector and have come from the local area. Neil explains: “Whether it’s in the kitchen, front of house and now even in the management team, you will find local staff who have been trained and grown with the business. They are proud of what we are achieving in Pembrokeshire and hopefully excited about the future with us because we have so much yet to do.” Looking back on their bold decision to enter an area of business they knew nothing about, neither Neil nor Zoe has any regrets. He concludes: “We had no ambitions to want to run a hotel for lots of reasons but now we are in it, we feel it’s a hugely challenging, dynamic and exciting sector of industry to work in.” This feature first appeared in the April 2014 issue of Hotel Owner.