Alternative Hotel Group to Rebrand as De Vere Group

. December 20, 2010

December 17, 2010 - Alternative Hotel Group, a UK independent hotel and hospitality group, announces that it is rebranding as De Vere Group with immediate effect.

This move follows a brand review which recognised the strength of AHG's leading De Vere brands. The principal operating brands will be De Vere Hotels, De Vere Venues and De Vere Village. The brands of Greens, the 15 strong leisure club business, and G&J Greenall, the gin and vodka distiller, will be unaffected.

Richard Balfour Lynn, Chief Executive, said: "The rebranding recognises the strength of the De Vere brand which reflects excellence, high quality customer experience and value for money.

We believe that the parent company name should reflect its principal brands and be recognisable as the owner of the UK's leading independent hotel and hospitality businesses. The emphasis of the De Vere name across these successful operating businesses will have significant resonance with our large and growing customer base."

De Vere Group is the UK's leading independent hotel and hospitality group, operating 65 major hotels and residential conference venues across the UK, Greens leisure clubs and G&J Greenall. The Group also has 16 golf courses at 11 Hotel and Venue locations.

The Core divisions are:

De Vere Hotels
11 properties which will sell over 400,000 room nights in 2010, and generate estimated total revenue of £97m from its hotels and £6m from its golf courses. The split of revenue is 60% business and 40% leisure.
De Vere Venues
28 properties with 900 conference, meeting and training rooms, forecast to generate over 750,000 delegate days in 2010. The division addresses principally the business to business market but is forecast to grow its leisure-based activities by over 7% in the current year, including a 32% growth in weddings. Total forecast revenue of £113m for 2010, split 75% business and 25% leisure.
De Vere Village
26 properties which are forecast to sell almost 800,000 room nights in 2010, and generate total revenue of £143m. Five of the properties have been built in the last three years to a successful formula, and six new builds are planned for 2012. Each hotel, which is local community focussed, has a substantial leisure club with, on average, 3,800 members. The split of revenue is 50% business and 40% leisure.

Greens comprises 15 leisure clubs in England and Scotland with some 60,000 members and forecast revenues of £31m in 2010. G&J Greenall produces gin and vodka at its base in Warrington. Its owned brands comprise Greenalls, Bloom, Berkeley Square and Crystalnaya. It also distils a number of other gin and vodka brands for third parties, including Bombay Sapphire for Bacardi. Total revenues of £46m forecast for 2010.

The De Vere Group, which is jointly owned by management and Lloyds Banking Group, employs approximately 10,000 people across the UK. It is run by an executive board team comprising Andrew Coppel, Chairman, Richard Balfour-Lynn, Chief Executive, and Jagtar Singh, Chief Financial Officer.

The Group recently founded the De Vere Academy of Hospitality ("the Academy"), a major training and education initiative, in partnership with the National Apprenticeship Service. The first Academy was launched in Manchester at De Vere Venues Cheadle in January 2010, followed by the second at De Vere Venues Wychwood Park, near Crewe, in September 2010, and a third at De Vere Venues Harben House, near Milton Keynes, in November 2010. The Academy benefits from local and central government funding and provides young people with work-based learning in the hospitality industry and the opportunity to achieve nationally recognised vocational qualifications. The aim is to roll-out the Academy nationally to train 10,000 young people over the next three years.

De Vere Group is a strong supporter of charity. It has a successful partnership with the Variety Club Children's Charity, which dedicates itself to improving the lives of children and young people across the UK. To date, De Vere Group has helped to raise in excess of £1m as well as offering the Group's many hotel and sporting facilities to disadvantaged children, their parents and carers. In addition, the Group this year launched an initiative to support the British Armed Forces, "Welcome Home for Heroes", for military personnel returning from operational tour of duty to enjoy accommodation at the UK wide De Vere Venues for £1 per night.

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