Variety is spice of life at hotel (From Gazette Series)

Variety is spice of life at hotel

THE NEW owners of an hotel, which was once "famous for being closed", are hoping that it will soon be famous for a very different reason.

Newport Towers Hotel, at Newport, near Berkeley - bought by Omshanti Inns and Hotels 18 months ago - is throwing open its doors in the hope that people will travel from far and wide to savour its international cuisine.

Omshanti's operations manager, Tim Roberts, said that everyone seemed to know Newport Towers.

"It's a local landmark. Almost everyone can remember coming here at one time or another - usually many years ago. Unfortunately it got a reputation for being closed most of the time.

"Now we want Newport Towers to be famous for being open and for excellent food and service."

Mr Roberts said that while Newport Towers would continue to provide hotel accommodation and holidays for coach parties, the main bar was being turned into an international restaurant serving Indian, Thai and English/French cuisine.

"There has already been an excellent response to the Indian and Thai dishes we have started serving. The quality of the food is terrific because we are employing Thai and Indian chefs who cook traditional food in the traditional way."

Kaushik, the bar and restaurant manager, said there were six chefs - Govind, the head chef who is from Nepal and came to Newport Towers from the Novotel in Bangkok; Lekhnat and Dhruv, who come from India and have worked in Thailand; Baghavan, who is Indian, and Jane and Eddie who stayed on at Newport Towers when it was bought by Omshanti.

Kaushik has also spent many years in the hotel trade, having trained in India and worked in Thailand for a French company before coming to England.

"Our aim is to make eating here really exciting," said Kaushik.

"We will have all three cuisines going at once and people can have exactly what they want. If they want to eat a full Indian or Thai meal that's all right. If they want an English starter and then an Indian curry or a couple of Thai dishes, then that's fine too. And the usual English or French dishes will still be on the menu. The emphasis will be on casual, easy dining and people will be able to eat either in the bar or the restaurant."

The first big change came at the weekend when the new-look Newport Towers presented its brunch version of Sunday lunch, served between 11am and 4pm.

"There will of course be the traditional English Sunday roast," said Kaushik. "But alongside that will be an Indian and Thai buffet. So again there will be a chance to mix and match. We are really trying to stretch people's imagination and get away from the usual lunches served on a Sunday."

Then on Thursday, April 8 comes the official opening of the Retreat Pub and Restaurant when Newport Towers will be introducing invited guests to the delights of its special Thai, English and Indian cuisine, all made in the traditional way with fresh ingredients.

"Once everyone realises that Newport Towers Hotel is open to the public, we hope business will go from strength to strength," said Mr Roberts.

"Skittles teams have already started to use the alley again and word is getting around that the food is extremely good.

"Apart from unlocking the gates and doing all we can to let people know we are open, we have put green lights on the outside of the tower so it stands out. I'm told it can be seen from Taits Hill, near Dursley.

"Maybe we will now be famous for the right reasons."