How the refurbished Sea Hotel is bringing the South Shields seafront 'back to life' after £1.15 million investment

Bosses of the newly refurbished Sea Hotel say its multi-million pound investment was about “bringing seaside towns back to life”.
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It now has 34 en-suite bedrooms, an American sports bar, cocktail bar, function room and traditional Maritime restaurant, while the former fish and chip restaurant is now modern Latin American eatery, Loco.

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High Street Hospitality, which borrowed £1.15 million for the purchase and refurbishment of the property, say turnover has increased by more than 70% since it opened in June 2019.

The Maritime Restaurant at The Sea HotelThe Maritime Restaurant at The Sea Hotel
The Maritime Restaurant at The Sea Hotel

The group worked with South Tyneside Council on the regeneration of the seafront area in a bid to restore the family atmosphere, following a similar venture with the opening of Hotel 52 in Whitley Bay.

“We sat with local councils to look at how we could bring coastal areas back to life,” said Phil Brumwell managing director of hospitality.

“Whitley Bay used to be the family venue of the North East, and it’s the same in South Shields.

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“We have invested a lot of money to try and bring it back to life and bring families back to the area and the council was willing to work with us, improving the roads and pathways, to support what we're trying to do for the community.”

Inside Bar 52 sports bar at The Sea Hotel.Inside Bar 52 sports bar at The Sea Hotel.
Inside Bar 52 sports bar at The Sea Hotel.

He continued: “The Sea was a really iconic hotel when we took over, but it had become tired and we feel we have the expertise in bringing things back to life. We’ve created a destination, there’s a bit of everything for everyone.”

The refurbishment was made possible by market lender Assetz Capital.

Relationship director, Ian Craig said: “It’s a pleasure to work with the High Street Group and witness how Assetz loans can be used to transform a dated building into one that is a thriving part of a local community. We look forward to building on this relationship and being a part of many more commercial property developments with which the group is planning to be involved in the future.”