Archived feature from March 2007:
The Windsor
If you’re looking for somewhere comfortable, clean and cosy to stay or recommend to visitors, check out The Windsor on Warrior Square. Its charming new owners have given it a makeover: linen sheets, luxury duvets and flatscreen TVs in the refurbished rooms are all part of the new look and feel.
Seng and Elisabeth Loy are the new owners of The Windsor in St Leonards. Since December they’ve transformed the place, earning three stars just a month after they opened the doors to guests. They searched high and low from Scarborough to Bath for a hotel, and settled on St Leonards – because of the wonderful sea view and great potential the area is realising.
The Windsor is spotless and freshly decorated, and the welcome is warm. “I am only comfortable offering standards I’d be pleased to find myself,” Elisabeth tells me, and it’s apparent that these are high. The refurbishment has already been quite an undertaking: the painting, carpeting and cleaning, done with the help of local tradesmen to support the local economy.
Seng and Elisabeth have a history of turning hotels around, so they’re just the kind of talent
a regeneration area like this can use. Recently, Seng turned a failing pub in the Cotswolds into
the only Gloucestershire hotel recommended in Egon Ronay’s Gastro Pub and Restaurant Guide
for 2006. He set up a restaurant serving authentic South East Asian cuisine, employing top chefs from China and Sri Lanka.
The Loys bring an interesting international mix to their business: he’s from Singapore, she’s from Austria. Seng’s history in hotel management is extensive. Seng brings experience from Singapore, Portugal, London, Birmingham and the Cotswolds, including many 5 star hotels.
In the longer-term, The Windsor will be a contemporary boutique guesthouse with all mod-cons, luxury produce and sun-flooded dining room with a sea view. In the meantime, you can enjoy its excellent standards and the service of friendly and flexible hosts.
The Windsor |
