Brian Keane, owner of Ravenwood Hall, in Rougham near Bury St Edmunds, says recent refurb is a sign of things to come
A hotel owner has said a spruce up of one of his historic venues is a sign of bigger things to come.
Brian Keane, director of the Cameron Hotel Collection, refreshed some of the interior of Ravenwood Hall, in Rougham, at the start of the year.
Carpets have been replaced and the furniture has been updated and redecorated, which Brian says is the start in his longer-term planning for the venue over the next three to five years.
The Cameron Hotel Collection took on Ravenwood Hall in May 2023 from its long-time proprietor Craig Jarvis, who had the hotel in his family for nearly 40 years.
Brian said: “We’ve kept the traditional theme of the hotel with this light refurbishment. There wasn’t anything major, but it’s enough that it makes a difference, and we kept it sympathetic to the hotel and its character.
“It’s about getting that quality again, and the reviews have been really good recently. We’ve had lots of training with the team there, the quality of the food and the service have been raised.”
Brian said, when he purchased the hotel from Craig, it had been with the same family for quite some time and that he was a great hotelier. Now, he is looking to take Ravenwood to the next level.
As well as Ravenwood, Brian runs the Priory Hotel, in Bury St Edmunds, the Cedars Hotel in Stowmarket and the Ipswich Hotel. He took over the Priory in 2015 and is still seeking to develop and enhance the premises.
In December 2023, the new owners put in a planning application for 11 lodges on the Ravenwood site, to be built on a disused tennis court and grassland at the back. This will form part of the next phases of the hotel’s development under the Cameron Hotel Collection.
“It’s all part of a longer-term project,” Brian said. “This refurb was to reinvest in the local area so the community has somewhere to use as well.
“It’s always been an amazing place. We’ve got big plans but it’s one step at a time. The big thing is we’re very much open for business, so we want people to come and have a look at what we’ve done and what we have to offer.
“Now we’ve started that journey, and we want to be looking after the guests and showing off what we’ve done and what we can do. It’s all a work in progress.”
Brian added in recent months Ravenwood has ramped up its wedding offerings and the bookings have followed. He wants the hotel to become a family destination where all generations can stay in tandem and enjoy what it has to offer.
