Politician slams hotel name change as 'slap in the face to Flintshire'

Published date: 15 January 2010 | Published by: Staff reporter

Politician slams hotel name change as 'slap in the face to Flintshire' 

A DECISION to rename a Flintshire hotel has been slammed by Welsh politicians.

The recent renaming of the Gateway to Wales as Days Hotel – Chester North has angered politicians who say the change is a slap in the face for Flintshire and Wales.

Janet Ryder, AM for North Wales, said the county’s efforts at economic regeneration was being undermined by the rebranding.

She said: “We’ve heard about Liverpool MPs calling for a Mersey mayor that includes Flintshire and Wrexham.

"Now we see businesses rebranding themselves as Chester-based when they're in Flintshire. Where does it all end?”

The West Cheshire/North East Wales strategy is aimed at increasing ties between Cheshire and north-east Wales.

A 15,000-strong petition opposing the strategy was sent to the Welsh Assembly Government, the largest ever presented to the petitions committee. It is to be debated in the Assembly next month.

Matt Knight, general manager at the hotel, told the Leader: “Part of our requirement (in the rebranding) was that we kept our link with the hotel's name and were able to keep the Gateway to Wales as the name for the hotel’s thriving leisure club.

“We are a big part of the local community and fully understand people’s links with the hotel.

"However to compete in the national and international markets people feel more comfortable booking their stay with a branded property and this has been evident in the short time we have been Days Hotel.

“We have seen a large increase in business travellers from Japan, USA and Europe since the rebrand.”


What do you think of the issue?

Have your say below.

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  1. Posted by: Yachydda at 13:09 on 15 January 2010 Report

    If companies want to be Chester based... Make them pay Chester rates....exclude them from any posible funding from Wales and remove them from any promotional leaflets. As for the The West Cheshire/North East Wales strategy..kick it out, Wales is ours and its staying ours... not Liverpudlian!

  2. Posted by: nathan2010 at 15:32 on 15 January 2010 Report

    Why shouldn't the Days Hotel change its name if it wants to. Personally I think Chester North sounds so much better than the previous name. Its bound to increase its trade, so really its benefiting your county by bringing more visitors in. Does it really matter what county its in. We let you use our hospital and welcome you into our city. Stop your pathetic winging and focus on more important issues affecting this world!

  3. Posted by: Roland Cleth at 15:36 on 15 January 2010 Report

    Janet Ryder, AM for North Wales, said : “We’ve heard about Liverpool MPs calling for a Mersey mayor that includes Flintshire and Wrexham..." Where, when, whom?...or could she be lying to make political capital?

  4. Posted by: Roland Cleth at 15:52 on 15 January 2010 Report

    nathan2010 - "Why shouldn't the Days Hotel change its name if it wants to....Its bound to increase its trade, so really its benefiting your county by bringing more visitors in." Quite right. The owners of the hotel are entitled to call it what they damn well like and aren't likely to change its name on the basis that it will lose business.

  5. Posted by: Yachydda at 16:21 on 15 January 2010 Report

    Its not the name change that im bothered about... its the preference in base..If they want to be Chester based... then they can... but I think it only fair that they pay Chester busness rates also.. as for the coment that "we let you use our hospitals" by what I have seen you can have them.

  6. Posted by: Hen ddraig at 17:58 on 15 January 2010 Report

    As part of the Days Inn group what would you expect it to be called. Days Inns are a worldwide chain of Inns, Hotels and Suites, operating under this name can only be good for the local economy. As for Chester North, tourists know where Chester is, Sealand or Queensferry does not exactly grab your attention.

  7. Posted by: Gareth Williams at 19:28 on 15 January 2010 Report

    I think it's ridiculous for a Flintshire hotel to have such a silly name! It simply is not in Chester, Cheshire - or even England! Surely, there doesn't seem to be a rosy future for a hotel which choses a name foreign to its location? Hotels can make a huge profit out of their "Welshness" - this is what clients are looking for, something different. Lets's hope the hotel will contain bilingual signs, Welsh speaking staff, a Welsh theme to the catering, etc. etc. Pob lwc iddynt!

  8. Posted by: carrie at 20:20 on 15 January 2010 Report

    There are a whole host of companies in Flintshire advertising themselves as being in Cheshire, it is indeed a slap in the face, possibly they need a geography lesson. Roland, I suggest you do a quick web search before branding people as liars, get your facts straight.

  9. Posted by: Hen ddraig at 23:30 on 15 January 2010 Report

    Many border area businesses describe themselves as Chester it makes sense to let people know where you are and Chester is a worldwide brand. I know from personal experience that many North American travel agents regard Chester as the entry point for North Wales. Try a search on the internet for Chester airport, there are two, one in Connecticut, one in Flintshire.

  10. Posted by: tommy at 12:24 on 16 January 2010 Report

    This is fresh coming from Plaids's Janet Ryder.who ,along with almost 90% of her assembly allies stunned the worlds animal rights groups by voting for the badger cull this year. The decision flew in the face of scientific evidence that proves badgers DO NOT spread bovine TB. Ryder,like the rest who voted are firmly representing the farmers lobby,and not the people of wales.

  11. Posted by: tommy at 14:42 on 16 January 2010 Report

    This is fresh coming from Plaids's Janet Ryder.who ,along with almost 90% of her assembly allies stunned the worlds animal rights groups by voting for the badger cull this year. The decision flew in the face of scientific evidence that proves badgers DO NOT spread bovine TB. Ryder,like the rest who voted are firmly representing the farmers lobby,and not the people of wales.

  12. Posted by: Capel celyn at 17:29 on 16 January 2010 Report

    This is a disgrace! The hotel is in Wales, not in England as the hotel manager has stated. Nice new website about the hotel: www.dayshotelchester.com

  13. Posted by: regfor at 17:53 on 16 January 2010 Report

    Who in their right mind would use this Hotel anyway if you wanted to stay in Chester? Its not in Chester, so would defeat the whole object of visiting Chester, use our Citys Hotels not these ones in Wales deceiving the general public to line their pockets, Chester City Council should take action against them for false representation.

  14. Posted by: Welshboy at 22:09 on 16 January 2010 Report

    Similar case to the 'Holiday Inn Chester West' actually in Northop Hall and also Hawarden airport which Code is CHE obviously not Welsh , are we in Wales or not?

  15. Posted by: a cahill at 23:24 on 16 January 2010 Report

    It's not a case of being allowed to use Chester or Liverpool hospitals rather it the case that the WAG have encouraged it by failing to fund the local hospital with the result that even serious childrens cases can only be deal witht in Liverpool...and are fully behind the West Chesire/Nth East Wales Strategy

 

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