The Arc story
In 2015 we set up Arc Consulting Partners based on a simple concept: Partners who trusted each other, had different skills sets and could bring to clients their wide-ranging experience in both project appraisal and project implementation – an integrated approach that is more effective than reliance on one individual input or that of a larger and more cumbersome team.
Ten years on we have delivered an extensive range of hospitality related projects where clients have benefitted from a combination of disciplines and insights:
- Project needs: the ‘arc’ of services range from identifying the market opportunity through to developing site specific concepts and identifying appropriate market positioning for hotels, resorts, pubs with rooms and non serviced accommodation (such as glamping, treehouses or lodges).
- Owner Support: working closely with clients to identify opportunities, provide asset management and resolve operator related disputes.
- Locations: include urban, rural, sporting venues and university campuses, in the UK and internationally.
- Clients: are landowners, private sector asset owners (seeking to diversify their portfolios and broaden business models) and councils (exploring regeneration opportunities).
On occasions this has required compromise and a change of direction but has always led to the identification of an effective solution.
Arc’s own skills as set out in our website provide in depth experience of operations and hotel development (James Munro), global tourism insights (Jim Fletcher), market appraisal and asset management (Douglas Grant) through to master planning and design (David Edwards) offering an integrated partnership.
Current project challenges
Despite the obvious uncertainties over construction costs, availability of funding and market volatility there remains a strong appetite for accommodation and hospitality provision as part of many mixed-use developments.
The complexity of many sites demands a variety of inputs and requires an appraisal of the information available to enable options to be identified for potential future needs.
This requires insight into available data, on the ground site visits, assessment of physical restrictions, interviews with management of existing trading businesses and an understanding of economic and planning targets and tourism drivers. Added to those dynamics are the practical implications:
- Can the area support new supply?
- Are there market trends that could impact on the choice of accommodation concept?
- Is the configuration proposed suitable to enable operational efficiencies?
- Does the market positioning and business model maximise revenues but also profit?
- Do owner and operator have the same view of where the maximum potential for the business lies?
- What planning issues need to be overcome?
- Is the project implementation plan realistic?
Working as a team
Selecting the right team with the appropriate range of disciplines to help move projects forward requires coordination and a cohesion and clarity of roles together with a lead coordinator.
We interpret ‘Arc Partners’ to include close working Associates – specialists that we have brought in to add a particular skill to a project or where we have played a supporting role in their own assignments.
Examples of where we have worked closely with other partners to address these issues include:
- Architecture and Master Planning with David Edwards of Placemake
- Regional UK destination studies covering both serviced and non serviced sustainable tourist accommodation: with Lynn Thomason of Hotel and Tourism Solutions and Adam Gough of Forward Land
- Leasehold hotel deals with Nick Barber of NJB Hotels & Leisure Property
- Specialist Viability assessments required by public sector bodies with Chris White of White Land and Nigel Simkin of Highgate Land
- Project management: with David Ledger of Box Associates
- Planning: with Jeremy Gardiner of Pegasus Group.
- Real Estate Insights: Geoffrey Dobson of Langbrook International (Dubai)
- Website Design and Promotion: Paul Warrington of The Cutting Edge
The Benefits
The client benefits and arguments for appointing experience and niche specialists are many. They include:
- In depth understanding of the relevant dynamics of the variables involved
- Market, financial, viability, operational and personnel issues being integrated to enable delivery of better results
- Creative stimulus from the interaction of the various disciplines
- Collaboration providing pragmatic compromises when necessary
- A wealth of experience enabling alternative solutions to be considered
To deliver an effective end result in complex assignments there is a need for in-depth insight into a variety of physical, environmental, market, operational, investment and trading elements – deliverable only by a bespoke partnership of relevant skills.
Our case rests.
Footnote: For more information or an informal discussion on potential project needs, call 0044 7785 514831, www.arcconsultingpartners.com
Picture credits: Bridge Image:matthew-henry-HeVd38MWnw4-unsplash; Rowing team: parsa-mahmoudi-8x2iLiQ6J_U-unsplash
