Multi-million pound hotel plan unveiled at Goodwood

The Duke and Duchess of Richmond are said to have invested enormous personal time into the plans to ensure they maximise quality, creativity, and a genuine empathy with the estate.

The planning application, due imminently for submission, would see an increase in the number of rooms from 91 to 117 – as well as an orchard planted in the hotel grounds.

Entertainment and hospitality managing director, Andrew Coggings, has been working with The Duke and Duchess, architects and consultants on the trans-formative vision.

The finished result will reference the estate with flint walls, exposed oak, and plant-life that has been found on the estate for nearly three centuries.

He said: “Now, why do we need 16 additional rooms? The demand is there. It’s a very successful hotel. Obviously we have all the events, but we have a lot of residential conferences, a lot of leisure business and so we just know that we have demand that we can’t fulfil at the moment.

"The benefit we have is we are not dealing with a hotel that was the most beautiful thing ever built at the moment.”

The hotel was a joint venture with Marriott until 2007 and has been run by the estate since 2008.

Critics have said that because of the way in which the hotel has grown its layout and corridor arrangement are needlessly complex and confusing with no clear focus around a reception area – and guests are expected to overwhelmingly welcome the huge investment.

The Duke and Duchess are also said to have had ‘absolute full involvement’ in the plans with the Duke working with architects and the Duchess with landscapers.

Mr Coggings said: “I think at the end of the day, the Duke is known as being incredibly creative. Therefore at all stages he likes to go through these drawings with very great care.

"The Duchess, because of her keenness in all things to do with gardens and the park and everything on the estate, she has been very heavily involved with the landscaping. She has met with our landscape architect and discussed what types of flora and fauna to put in.”

If approved, the works should begin this autumn and are expected to take about three to five years.

Mr Coggings said the timescale will allow the rest of the hotel to carry on as usual and the works will pause during the summer months, when events are held on the estate.