Activities

Apex Hotels is an Edinburgh-based owner and operator of contemporary-styled, city centre hotels that fall primarily into the four-star bracket.

The privately-owned company was founded by Norman Springford in 1996 and its hotels offer conference, spa and fitness facilities to target both the corporate and the leisure market.

The group’s brands include the Metro bar, brasserie or restaurant and the Yu Spa, an holistic Japanese-style programme of water treatments allied with Technogyms.

Apex made its first foray south of the border in the autumn of 2005 when it opened a property near Tower Bridge in London.

Timeline

• May 1996: Ex-accountant Norman Springford opens his first hotel, the Apex International, on the site of a former university block in the Grassmarket area of Edinburgh.
• 1998: The Apex European hotel opens in Edinburgh’s West End, while the Apex International gains 55 extra bedrooms.
• 2001: The group opens its third hotel, the Apex City, in Edinburgh’s Old Town.
• March 2003: The company makes its first move outside Edinburgh with the opening of the £15m Apex City Quay hotel in Dundee. The hotel features the Yu Spa gym, pool and treatment rooms that are extended to the Apex International in the autumn of 2005.
• October 2005: The group opens its first hotel south of the border, the four-star Apex City of London near Tower Bridge, after spending £20m converting an old office block.

Operating data

The group operates four hotels, with a fifth set to open in the autumn of 2005. All have a four-star rating except for the three-star Apex European in Edinburgh.

Apex International hotel, Edinburgh (175 bedrooms)
Apex City hotel, Edinburgh (119 bedrooms)
Apex European hotel, Edinburgh (66 bedrooms)
Apex City Quay hotel, Dundee (153 bedrooms)
Apex City of London, near Tower Bridge (130 bedrooms) – opens autumn 2005

Group turnover 2004: £13.87m
Group projected turnover 2005: £15.36m
Group pre-tax profit 2004: £4.17m
Group projected pre-tax profit 2005: £5.15m

Financial year end: 30 April 2005

Number of employees: about 400, rising to 500 when the London hotel opens

Strategy

“To be considered a strong player in the British hotel market, a hotel chain needs a London property. The Apex City of London is the realisation of a number of goals and marks a significant step forward in the development and growth strategy for Apex Hotels.”

Source: Norman Springford, company website

Key directors

Chairman: Norman Springford
Directors: Dorothy Springford, Ian Springford, David Springford and Joan Springford
Managing director: Angela Vickers
Director of sales: William Roberts
Commercial director: Alastair Roy

Contact

217 Gilmerton Road
Edinburgh
EH16 5UD

Tel: 0131 666 5100

Website: http://www.apexhotels.co.uk

Commentary

Apex was originally conceived as three-star economy chain catering for tour groups and the leisure market. But Springford quickly perceived a niche in the Edinburgh market for design-led four-star hotels that would attract a more consistent year-round clientele from both the corporate and the short-break sectors.

This led to a £1.2m redesign of the first hotel, the Apex International, followed by a £750,000 revamp of the Apex European in 2001.

The company, which won the Scottish Hotel Group of the Year award in 2004, is known for the limited-edition artwork in the bedrooms, public areas and meeting rooms of all its properties.

The move to London has been a long-cherished dream for Springford, who swept south as soon as falling prices opened up the market. “We have always fancied London but we could never afford it,” he told Caterer and Hotelkeeper in 2004.

Apex is also looking at a potential second site in England, in Newcastle upon Tyne.

The group, which is seeking new-build or conversion opportunities in both primary and secondary city centres, has looked at possibilities in Leeds, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Manchester, Bristol and Nottingham in the past.