A four-star hotel with new roof conversion comprising 24 luxury en-suite bedrooms, 18 of which were completed 10 weeks ahead of schedule.

At the four-star, 154 room Oxford Belfry Hotel near Thame, through careful programming and phasing of work, Beard managed to build an additional six rooms to the original brief.

Firstly, to show the quality of finishes and workmanship, Beard created a sample bedroom.  All rooms were then finished to a very high standard to meet the hotel's four-star status.

To keep disruption of the day-to-day running of the hotel to a minimum, it was critical to communicate with the customer to harmonise noisy works to the most convenient times for the hotel.  The project team also moved construction activity away from the main entrance and used bamboo screening and temporary plants to reduce the visual impact of construction work taking place next to occupied areas.

Beard also refurbished and extended the ‘Bistro’ bar and 'Reflections Spa', creating a state-of-the-art gymnasium, exercise studio, sauna and seven treatment rooms.

Challenges & Solutions

Site entrance was via a gable window in the end of the roof space to reduce the impact on hotel guests.

Work was divided into four phases to enable trades to be moved in sequence from one area to another and work took place between strict times to reduce to disruption guests.

Subcontractor interviews were held on site to give subcontractors a feel for the complexities of the environment.

“We were particularly pleased that Beard achieved the early completion of 24 additional guest bedrooms. The Beard team provided effective communication with both ourselves and our partners throughout the project. Planning and scheduling was efficient and response to queries speedy, giving us a feeling of confidence as the project progressed.”