Laura Ashley, the UK-based brand famous for its fabrics, designs and homeware, is targeting Saudi Arabia as part of an expansion plan for its fledgling hotels business.

Laura Ashley Hotels, which currently operates two properties in its home market, is planning significant domestic and international growth to open up to 100 hotels over the next five years, reported Hotelnewsnow.com.

Laura Ashley principal Nick Turner told the website that  another part of the brand’s increased presence will be the licensing of Laura Ashley-branded tea rooms, both in its hotels and as standalone offerings.

He said the opening of the 62-room Laura Ashley The Belsfield, which sits alongside Lake Windermere in the Lake District National Park north of Manchester, convinced him of the timeliness of the brand.

Turner was quoted by Hotelnewsnow.com that the Laura Ashley Hotels brand will satisfy international demand for British style, history and heritage.

Lake Windermere draws on the popularity of iconic figures as poet William Wordsworth and author Beatrix Potter and Turner said Potter’s books are popular in places such as China, South Korea, Japan and Saudi Arabia, which are all markets Laura Ashley Hotels will target.

“The reaction has been phenomenal, and internationally there is demand for a global, aspiration, upscale British brand,” Turner was quoted as saying.

He added that the concept will be exported internationally to the Middle East, Indian Ocean, Thailand and other parts of Southeast Asia.

SOURCE : ALBILAD