The Best Western Castle Green Hotel in Kendal has three stars and is set in 14 acres of gardens and woodland with views of Kendal Castle. The winner of the Cumbria Tourism ‘Large Hotel of the Year' 2009, it has 100 bedrooms, extensive purpose-built meeting and function facilities for up to 300 delegates, leisure facilities with two Technogym studios, pool and aromatherapy treatments.

It also offers a wide choice of dining either at the Greenhouse Restaurant awarded two AA Rosettes or at Alexanders, the hotel's pub in the grounds.

An already successful operation, HBIM (Hotel Business Improvement Management)
was brought in to help the team make further bottom-line improvements, having been recommended by another Best Western member who had benefited from the programme.

There were four key areas to address: economics, management skills, team building and sales and marketing.

OUTCOMES: A structured approach to the various sections of the business with gross operating profit increasing by 9 per cent moving from 18 per cent to 27.1 per cent, topping 30 per cent in May this year. The target is now 32 per cent - previously thought to be unattainable.

Managing director, Tim Rumney, says that the programme enabled the team to work more closely together and developed individual skills.

"They have a better knowledge of figures and we have a hotel-wide focus on sales. Now all HOD's are skilled at forecasting."

"We have far more transparency about the company strategy - we're all moving forward together."