Swansea’s KLJ Group of Hotels Ltd has purchased its third 3-star guest house after receiving funding from NatWest. The company is now set to hire new staff to cope with increased demand.
The hotel group, set up by husband and wife Kumar and Leena Balain, provides guest house facilities on the Swansea seafront along the main route into the historic Mumbles headland and fishing village.
The purchase of the 31-bedroom guest house follows the acquisition of two other 3-star guesthouses located on the same street in the summer of 2015. Kumar and Leena’s aim is to provide reasonably priced, high-quality bed and breakfast facilities to its clients, and hope the regenerated hotel will help to transform the previously neglected Mumbles Road area in Swansea, and create a new community asset.
KLJ was established less than two years ago. Having invested a huge amount of time and money, it now operates a total of 80 hotel rooms managed by 40 employees, with a turnover of over £400,000.
With no plans to slow the pace of expansion, Kumar and Leena are planning to hire an additional five new members of staff after obtaining the funding package, and are keen to showcase the attractive seaside culture of Swansea to more tourists.
As Kumar said: “With this new acquisition, we bring with us many years of experience and an understanding of how to sympathetically improve the working standard of our hotels, in order to cement them as focal points for the community and add value to their location. Swansea is very close to our hearts and we look forward to sharing its culture, history and scenic beauty with our guests.”
NatWest Relationship Manager Gemma Yorke said, “Kumar and Leena have pursued a growth strategy which has really paid off for them. It is wonderful to see a small business succeeding and we hope to continue our support of the business as it continues to grow.”