A Kent businessman who transformed a once derelict manor house into an award-winning hotel is launching a second property in Dover following a £1.5 million investment. Gavin Oakley, who heads the team behind the 4-star Wallett’s Court Country House Hotel and Spa in Westcliffe, near Dover, opens for business this week at The White Cliffs Hotel, just a mile away in the village of St Margaret’s-at-Cliffe.

The historic hotel and restaurant, formerly The Garden House Hotel, is located in the heart of St Margaret’s village and centres around a traditional Kentish weather-boarded inn, parts of which date back to Elizabethan times.

Many of the hotel’s 15 bedrooms have been refurbished and restyled to give them a contemporary ‘New England’ twist, while the loft has been converted into a luxury micro spa offering ‘his and hers’ treatments using organic, hand-made products.

The Loft Micro Spa is due to open on 19 May, along with the hotel’s White Cliffs Trading Company store, which will sell exclusive ranges of home and garden products from top British, Scandinavian and Italian designers.

Gavin, who’s already won 2 AA dining rosettes for his restaurant at Wallett’s Court, and plaudits in a number of guides, including The Good Food Guide, hopes to build on that reputation to provide a complementary hotel and restaurant offering at the 3-star White Cliffs Hotel. Nearly 40 people are employed at both hotels.

“We’re taking a new approach to rural and village hotel accommodation. We want to capture the essence of life in coastal England by introducing a fresh, contemporary look and feel that will appeal to a wide audience. At the same time we’ll be maintaining the same level of quality and service that guests have come to expect from Wallett’s Court.”

Added Gavin: “The Bay Restaurant is already very popular and we hope to build on that success by introducing innovative new menu ideas, which will reflect our passion for locally sourced, organic, free-range produce.”

The White Cliffs Hotel and The Bay Restaurant caters for weddings, meetings and conferences, as well as parties and private dining. For further information, details of special offers, or to book, visit www.thewhitecliffs.com or telephone 01304 852229.

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