We are pleased that you would like to know more about us and how we can work together.
About us
We started with our founder Steve Lowy and his view on what is possible.
On his travels around the world, Steve experienced cultures whose nature it was to deliver a welcome and service unparalleled to anything in the UK, yet at a fraction of the price. He experienced that warmth and desire to please and felt these to be values all hotels should possess; however, it was hard to find a consistent 3-star hotel brand that could deliver all these qualities time after time.
After having set up a successful hostel under the banner of fun-loving, unique, lively and value for money, Steve set his sights on the hotel industry. The void between the 3-star hotel and the 5-star hotel was vast, both in cost and in service. The generic 5-stars with their lack of character versus the hit-and-miss accommodation of the 3-stars were a continual cause of frustration. Steve’s vision recognised that the situation needed to be addressed.
It is time to pull away from the traditionl stereotypes of the 3-star and build a hotel brand that stands for something, that has a strong sense of identity, a soul and a real passion for delivering great hospitality and fantastic value.
This shaped our vision to provide a service-led environment known for its welcome, its passion for fun, its great value and a desire to unite people and cultures.
The Umi experience
With Umi Hotels, you will be experiencing:
- A growing brand, well known for its ability to deliver service.
- A founder who is involved in the business every day, safeguarding his vision and values.
- Experience of converting existing hotels to Umi, and the knowledge of the benefits the brand brings.
- A passion for working with young people and being part of their education in hotels and marketing.
- An experienced central team who will be helping you in every area of the development.
- An online and e-marketing team who have a wealth of experience in web design, online campaigns, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), Public Relations, social media management and all the other tools of the modern marketeer.
- Access to our booking engine, driving business directly to your site in a much more cost-effective way.
- Direct referrals from the central Umi group – at present our hotels are receiving over 40% of their room revenue directly through our efforts, and this number continues to increase.
- A flexible approach to buildings – we are happy to talk to you about your premises and share our ideas and experiences in the most efficient building sizes and facilities to be offered. We want to make the best revenue available from the space you have.
- Support in switching over to the Umi brand and interpretation of our standards manuals. We do not believe in expensive refurbishments with long pay-back times.
- Support on environmental policy – this is something we firmly believe in and want you to share our beliefs in a cost-effective way.
- Revenue generation: we will show you the best ways to drive revenues, train you in how to read all the signs to get your pricing just right.
- Service delivery to our guests. This is one of the things that sets us apart; we will help you with training manuals, actual training, and regular assessments of what the customers think.
- Standards manuals: our customers must recognise our brand by its “touch points”. Our manuals will describe these in detail and help you deliver them consistently.
- A quality assurance programme, enabling you to get first-hand feedback from people who have experienced the hotel. We will recognise your achievements and help you write and manage any improvement plans.
If you agree with our vision, click on the Become An Umi Partner tab for more details on how we can work together.