Butlins opening upscale hotel in Bognor Regis

In 1936, when Billy Butlin opened his first holiday camp, he promised Britons “a week’s holiday for a week’s pay”, aware that the “no-frills” offer was a good business decision. He believed that providing low-budget accommodation along with good entertainment would see hordes of holidaymakers flocking to his camp – and so they did.

Butlin died in 1980, after having built one of the largest domestic holiday operations in the UK. He might have been somewhat surprised by his company’s latest addition, which is a major change from the camps and their Redcoat staff and the chrome badges sported by regulars every season.

The company’s most upmarket offering to date is a new £20 million hotel, located in Bognor Regis, where guests can enjoy DVD players and widescreen TVs in their rooms and even spa treatments and haut cuisine – with menus featuring Chateuabriand, fillet of sea bass and confit of lamb.

Far-removed from the original cheap-and-cheerful “Hi-Di-Hi” holiday camp that Butlins became known for, the five-storey Ocean Hotel is aimed at attracting new customers as well as appealing to Butlins customers looking for something a bit more upscale.

For more information on this article please visit www.independent.co.uk.