Sofitel London Gatwick Celebrates Tenth Anniversary
Sofitel London Gatwick, the only premium hotel directly linked to the North Terminal at London Gatwick Airport, celebrated its tenth anniversary under the luxury international Sofitel brand this week.
Surrounded by clients, industry leaders, local businesses and friends of the hotel, General Manager James Berry and his team of dedicated staff celebrated with a traditional birthday party which saw the huge hotel lobby transformed with balloons and decorations whilst a live band played and Champagne and canapés were served. Head Chef David Woods, himself a veteran of the hotel having worked there for nearly 14 years, was responsible for creating the celebratory menu for over 40 guests, including the design of a stunning birthday cake to formally represent the occasion.
Since taking over the hotel in 2005, management and hotel company The Arora Group - led by Chairman and Founder Surinder Arora - has firmly established the hotel as one of the finest examples of airport accommodation, with 518 spacious guest rooms, an array of restaurants and bars from the relaxed to the fine dining, conference centre with 11 versatile meeting rooms and an impressive 8th floor executive lounge overlooking the runway.
General Manager, James Berry, commented on the anniversary milestone, “I am delighted to be here celebrating ten years as Sofitel London Gatwick and raising a glass to our guests, clients and team today. Over the last ten years, the hotel has undergone a significant transformation, including a £15 million investment in maintaining a premium quality airport hotel, and vitally, ensuring we continue to provide exceptional service to our discerning guests, many of whom have been staying with us throughout our ten years.”
During the celebration, guests wined and dined on food and drink representative of each of the hotel’s three award-winning restaurants and vibrant bars including the 2 AA Rosette La Brasserie, La Terrasse, a Parisian street-style bar and Kua Bar for cocktails overlooking the striking central atrium.
Sofitel London Gatwick is directly connected to the airport’s North Terminal - just a 3 minute walk via covered walkway - and only a short monorail ride from the South Terminal. The hotel also boasts an onsite car park for 565 vehicles, securing its popularity as a first rate Park, Rest and Fly product for leisure and business travellers using the London airport.
Underlining its credentials as a leading luxury hotel group, the global Sofitel brand was voted number one in a 2014 WHICH? Customer Service Awards Survey, with the brand securing a satisfaction rating of 89% against 29 other hotel chains on the categories of cleanliness, food and value for money.
Sofitel London Gatwick celebrated its tenth anniversary on 15th October 2015 which also marked the building being a hotel for 25 years.
www.sofitel.com/Gatwick@SofitelLondonGA
Notes to editors
The Arora Group
One of the UK’s fastest growing privately-owned property companies, The Arora Group has made a name for itself through the design, construction and operation of luxury hotels, with exceptional levels of hospitality. Since its inception in 1999 the Group has diversified into other specialisms including Property and Construction.
The Arora Hotels division portfolio of 7 hotels comprises 2,920 bedrooms and 120 meeting rooms including Sofitel London Heathrow Terminal 5 and Sofitel London Gatwick (under a franchise agreement with Accor), Renaissance London Heathrow (under a franchise agreement with Marriott), Holiday Inn Heathrow Terminal 5 (under a franchise agreement with IHG), the Arora Hotel Gatwick/Crawley, Savill Court Hotel & Spa near Windsor and the forthcoming InterContinental® London – The O2, to be operated under a franchise agreement with InterContinental® Hotels Group (IHG) opening winter 2015.
The property division of The Arora Group – Arora Property – is involved in property asset and facilities management of a portfolio of landmark commercial buildings at strategic locations in London and provincial UK. The company also fulfils a Managing Agent role at Charters, one of the UK’s most exclusive residential developments.
The construction division, trading as Grove Developments specialises in commercial, residential and hospitality projects including the 453 bedroom InterContinental® London – The O2 and the adjacent Arora Tower. Grove Developments also manages design and build projects for external clients.
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