Boutique Hotelier – August 2019

FRESH FROM THE UNVEILING OF ITS NEW DINING ROOM, FOXHILLS IN SURREY

IS DRIVING A £25M EXPANSION PLAN ACROSS ITS 400-ACRE ESTATE AND

FACILITIES IN A BID TO STAY RELEVANT FOR BOTH ITS MEMBERS AND HOTEL

GUESTS. WE CAUGHT UP WITH GENERAL MANAGER TEJ WALIA AT FOXHILLS

TO DISCOVER HOW HE WILL DRIVE THE DEVELOPMENT TO FUTUREPROOF THE

FAMILY-RUN BUSINESS FOR YEARS TO COME.

F

oxhills in Surrey is

undergoing a period of

regeneration, with its owner

ploughing money into an

ambitious £25m project that will see

the 400-acre resort transition into a

modern leisure destination.

Just under a year ago, Tej Walia was

appointed as general manager to drive

this development. Walia, a member of

Institute of Hospitality and St Julian’s

scholar with more than seven years

of experience as a general manager,

replaced Jason Adams, who departed

earlier in 2018 to join Lygon Arms.

Foxhills is a vast site, with revenue

streams aplenty from tennis courts

and bedrooms, to restaurants and golf

courses and garners strong trade from

its membership base of more than

3,000 members.

Owned by the Hayton family since

1983, the original vision for Foxhills

was to create a concept similar to a US

country club, which Ian Hayton had

frequented in the 1950s. The Haytons

previously owned Pennyhill Park

before selling it to Exclusive Hotels and

Venues in 1982, and Burkes, a Mayfair

dining club.

The family took over the site from

Aer Lingus, who had converted the

private estate to a golf club in 1975,

and set about strengthening Foxhills’

reputation as a family-friendly leisure

WE ALSO HAVE AN INVESTMENT PLAN OF

OVER £7M IN THE YOUTH CLUB FAMILY AREA

AND THE SUMMER HOUSE, WHICH WE PLAN TO

START AFTER THE SUMMER”

Foxhills is a 440-acre

estate in Surrey.

20 BOUTIQUE HOTELIER | August 2019

TALK FOXHILLS

ON THE HUNT FOR