As the Christmas decorations are packed away in the loft for another year, and most of us force ourselves back to work with memories of the festive period distant, many are starting to look around for January deals for a summer holiday.
But to fly, or staycation? Although lets have slowed-down since the end of the Covid-19 pandemic, more and more Brits have been deciding to explore the variety and beauty of their own country, and 2025 is set to be another record year for domestic travel.
- Equipmake: High hopes, low cash – EV firm seeks urgent funding
- Ormonde offers high-potential mining
- Invinity launches next-gen battery pack
One venerable old establishment that has seen it all, and done it all since Queen Victoria was sitting on the throne is the Hydro Hotel Eastbourne, which was founded as a hotel-management company in 1895. The company which is listed on the Aquis Growth Market under the ticker: [AQSE:HYDP], operates the Hydro Hotel in West Sussex, an 82-room four-star establishment, formerly known as the Marine Mansion, a private residence. It holds mostly 4.5 to 5-star ratings on TripAdvisor.
Ground-breaking in its time
The property was purchased by the then-named Eastbourne Hydropathic Company Limited and became one of the first practitioners of hydrotherapy in Britain, and has since become a popular minibreak, wedding and celebration venue.
The company is overseen by five non-executive directors, and has around 420 shareholders. Like some of the other shares listed on Aquis, Hydro Hotel offers perks, above and beyond capital returns and dividends for shareholders. Any shareholder that owns at least 200 shares qualifies for a 10% discount on overnight accommodation and special events, dining and beauty treatments. In October the company agreed an interim dividend of 13p/share, up from 12p/share the year previously.
Narrowing losses in a challenging market
For the half-year to end-April, Hydro Hotel announced turnover of just shy of GBP2m, up 9% from GBP1.8m in 2023, and saw gross profit increase 10%. However, staff costs were up 6% y-o-y, overheads increased 1% and Hydo Hotel was, like many other hotel and leisure businesses, adversely affected by the rise in cost-of-utilities, although its repair bill fell significantly. All-in the hotel made a loss of GBP77,000, nearly GBP100,000 better than in 1H23.
The company’s share price opened the year at 850p, down 13% over one-year, with shares ranging between 850p and 900p over a 52-week period. The company has a market cap of GBP5.1m.
Hydro Hotel Eastbourne is a stable business with longevity. It’s never going to be a Hilton Group NYSE:HLT, but then again it doesn’t want to be; it just wants to keep providing experiences and refined accommodation in one of England’s most popular seaside towns, just like it has been doing for 130-years.
