Press Coverage
Imperial Honoured again - Chamber Link March 2008
The Imperial Plymouth is celebrating its second major award in just a few months after becoming the first guest house in the city to receive the Green Tourist Board Scheme Silver Award. The new award, which comes hard on the heels of The Imperial receiving the prestigious status from tourism body Visit Britain. Recognises brother and sister partnership Richard and Louise price’s commitment to embracing an environmentally friendly approach. They had to meet Stringent criteria including compliance with environmental legislation; demonstrating good environmental management ; communication of actions to guests; efficiency of lighting, heating and appliances insulation and renewable energy ;water efficiency; purchasing of environmentally friendly goods and services; minimisation public transport services.
Quality the key at five star Imperial - Plymouth Evening Herald, 23 October 2007
A Guesthouse in Plymouth has been awarded five star status by the tourism body Visit Britain. The Imperial Plymouth, in Lockyer Street, was assessed by the organisation last month and was given the highest rating.
Owners Louise and Richard Price believe that it is the only guesthouse in the city to be given the award. Louise said that they decided to go for the accreditation as a way of gaining a reputation for quality. She said this was already paying off.
“We are getting people that we would not have got before that have come to us because we have the five stars and they know it will be quality”, she said.
The rating comes after brother and sister team Richard and Louise bought the hotel in 2005 and recently invested £200,000 in upgrading it.
The money was spent on refurbishing the guesthouse’s 20 bedrooms, installing new carpets, refurbishing bathrooms and revamping the reception area.
Louise said the guesthouse worked with Saltash- Based interior design specialists Bancroft Design to create the hotel’s new look, including fitting some distinctive wallpaper.
“We wanted to be a five star because we would be the only one in Plymouth. It differentiates us from everyone else.” said Louise.
“I think there are quite a few mediocre places in Plymouth and we wanted to be the best.”
“We wanted to be five star so that we could compete with the cheaper places and all the new Travelodges. I think if you offer quality of service and you care about what you are doing then you will succeed.”
Louise and Richard are behind plans to create a tourism Business Improvement District in Plymouth, where tourism-related businesses in a certain geographical area pay a levy in addition to their business rates in return for deciding how the extra cash can be spent to improve the sector.
Louise said she believed that business-related tourism was a key growth are for Plymouth.
“There is a lot of business around if you go out and meet people and look for it,” she said.
Louise, who did a hospitality degree and ran a pub in Holbeton before buying the Imperial, has recently become deputy vice-chairman of the Plymouth Hospitality Association, which represents hotels, guesthouses and restaurants in the city. Richard was previously an accountant working in the NHS.
And a third price sibling, Andy, better known as the founding director of Tamar Science Park – based law firm Bright LLP, is also a director.