Pring: Rooms for improvement

Diversification is the name of the game for many in the trade at the moment, and it's striking to see how many of the big operators are looking at accommodation.

Wadworth, Young's, Fuller's, St Austell, Shepherd Neame and Hall & Woodhouse are leading names that come immediately to mind - but Spirit and a number of other managed groups are also looking at how to extract more value from their estates.

For individual licensees, getting into rooms is a big step to take. But it could be an excellent move, for the so-called lodge market is booming as business people and weekenders look for something more characterful than the soulless national chains.

There are a number of excellent books for licensees to dip into if they'd like inspiration - Room at the Inn by David Hancock, Putting Heads on Beds by Michael Cockman and Mr & Mrs Smith are three of the best. And the Morning Advertiser has been running articles recently about how to decide if it's something for you.

The main barrier to entry is price - both for the rooms and also the booking and marketing technology. This is not an area for bumbling amateurs - you'd be up against very professional operators. Yet it's definitely worth exploring your options, and if you're with a pubco they ought to be helping you do exactly that.

Hopefully the better weather and a good Mothering Sunday has put a bit of a spring back into many licensees' step, and City analysts seem a little more relaxed about the future at the moment. But there's no denying that consumer confidence is still delicately poised, so licensees need to be looking at every possible revenue stream. Rooms may seem like a big step into the unknown if you've never done this before. But for the entrepreneurial, it may be just the thing to kick-start your own business upturn.

Alcohol Concern​

Alcohol Concern has no fans in the pub trade, but even those who dislike it intensely might have been prepared to concede it was a serious body trying to do a professional job in a sensitive area. However, its attempt to ban Wye Valley Brewery's Dorothy Goodbody Stout on the grounds of sexual suggestiveness makes it a complete laughing stock. What a waste of time and money! Thank goodness the Portman Group has not fallen into the hands of the PC brigade. Its rejection of the complaint was the best drinks news for ages.