Commercial Maintenance Services UK Ltd (CMS) has contributed to a major £1m refurbishment of The Rutland Arms Hotel in the heart of the Peak District – ensuring it was able to open just in time to benefit from the summer staycation boom.
The Coaching Inn Group acquired the landmark building in Bakewell in February and immediately began work to sympathetically update the 33-bed hotel which dates from 1804.
With the former inn closed for much of the earlier part of the year due to coronavirus restrictions, its new owners took the opportunity to carry out a complete overhaul of the hot water and heating systems.
It brought in CMS to convert the hot water system from a traditional vented to an unvented system – which delivers much improved water pressure.
As part of the extensive six-week project, its engineers removed the old water tanks from the loft, replacing them with modern pressurised tanks, installed new pipework and upgraded plant room controls.
CMS was also able to reduce costs and save time by adapting the hotel’s existing boilers to the new unvented system.
Mark Porcher, a director of The Coaching Inn Group, said: “Having an efficient and highly effective heating and hot water system is absolutely crucial to the whole project.
“We have received many compliments on the refurbished bedrooms and ground floor area – but at the end of the day our guests expect a responsive heating system and great water pressure so that they can enjoy their morning shower.
“The hospitality industry completely closed down earlier in the year, so we used the time productively to coordinate all the work involved and since reopening The Rutland Arms has proved an extremely popular destination.”
He added: “We wanted a company that could provide nationwide cover and the capabilities to carry out everything from installing hard service to maintenance and emergency repairs.”
Once acclaimed as ‘Derbyshire’s most famous hotel’ Jane Austen is said to have stayed in Room 2 whilst writing Pride and Prejudice. Other famous visitors have included chemist and inventor Sir Humphry Davy, Sir Joseph Paxton, the designer of the world-famous Crystal Palace, and Charles Dickens.
Nic Smith, operations director of CMS, said: “We work extensively in the hospitality sector and its great to know that our work is contributing to the ongoing success of this fine old coaching inn.”
CMS also works with the Coaching Inn Group’s other 17 inns, carrying out business-critical installations, maintenance, and emergency repairs.