Welcome to town, have a nice stay!

OLDHAM could soon be playing host to the country’s first National Hospitality Training Academy in a multi-million pound project involving the building of a hotel and convention centre in the town centre.

And those masterminding the pioneering scheme hope the development will boost the area’s economy and employment.

Oldham Council revealed “high-level talks” with the Manchester Hoteliers Association and Oldham College and other education providers have been taking place.

The academy would become the hospitality trade’s centre of excellence — which would then become a blueprint for national expansion, the local authority announced.

Council leader Jim McMahon would not reveal the exact location or projections as plans are currently commercially sensitive.

He said: “What I can say is that negotiations are progressing well and we hope to be in a position to announce news of firm progress within weeks.”

New restaurants, bars and hotel leisure facilities and spa are part of the project called “Hotel Future”, the Chronicle understands.

The academy would be run on a commercial basis by a professional hotel management company.

Leading hospitality brands would use the facilities to offer opportunities for young people learning the trade and also hospitality professionals at all levels to advance their knowledge.

Paying guests at the hotel would be served by a combination of full-time trained staff together with students and apprentices enrolled in the academy’s training and apprenticeship programmes.

Cabinet member will consider a report recommending a £90,000 investment in the project on Monday - which aims to fund a feasibility study to assess the potential demand, space requirements, specifications of the facility, plus training requirements, costs and income projections.

The private sector would lead and chiefly finance the project.

Oldham is not renowned as being a hotel Mecca - but Councillor McMahon hopes the town’s limited hotel provision will be addressed with the innovative scheme.

He said: “This is an aspirational joint venture that could deliver significant regeneration – plus economic and employment gains – for Oldham.

”As a Co-operative Council we are firmly committed to providing leadership on innovative schemes like this that helps people into work and brings jobs into Oldham by working with partners across all sectors to deliver outcomes that benefit everyone.

“At present there is a limited hotel provision for residents, visitors and business customers in our borough.

“That needs to be addressed but we also want to go much further and deliver something of regional – and national – significance.”


THREE local companies are already practising what the new academy might preach.
Customer service has won JMA Automotive, of Bar Gap Road; Lees Autos, of St John Street, Oldham, and JF Motors, of Charles Street, Oldham awards in a scheme sponsored by inusrance company Swiftcover.

The garages were recognised for being among the nation’s best for effective customer service.

Sue Pochodaj of JMA said: “Customers are less willing to part with their cash, so they have to trust us and know that the work we do is absolutely necessary.”

The business depends almost entirely on returning customers, she said — a situation echoed by the other firms, who rely on cusomer satisfaction to maintain their reputations.