The pioneering hometel brand, room2, part of the UK’s Lamington Group, is delighted to announce the appointment of both Belfast hospitality expert, Michelle Davis as Sales Consultant and Michelle Thomas as New Openings Manager for its latest launch, room2 Belfast. Now set to open on the 16th October 2023, the exciting opening will be the latest hometel in the leading sustainable brand’s portfolio, and the first outside of England.
Michelle Davis, Sales Consultant, room2 Belfast
With 18 years of experience in the hospitality and tourism industry, Michelle Davis is a highly skilled sales & marketing leader, having worked as a consultant for a variety of brands. Specialising in areas including business development, social media marketing and content creation, Michelle Davis is passionate about driving new business and organic content through carefully considered strategies.
After graduating with a bachelor’s and master’s degrees both in Marketing from the University of Ulster, Jordanstown, Michelle Davis went on to work in hotel sales in various hotels in Northern Ireland and most notably, worked as Sales Manager for over a decade at Ramada Encore in Belfast. Pivoting her career during the pandemic, Michelle Davis went on to a role in digital marketing, and it was during this time that she became well-known in Belfast for her impressive knowledge of the hospitality industry, when she created the blog ‘Staycations NI’. As well as this, Michelle Davis has contributed to articles in The Belfast Telegraph and has also written several articles for online magazines including ‘Travel2Ireland’.
Since then, Michelle Davis has gone on to establish herself as a Freelance Sales & Marketing Consultant, leading strategy planning sessions and social media masterclasses for accommodation providers as well as offering sales training to local hotels and mentoring to small businesses.
Michelle Thomas, New Openings Manager, Lamington Group
In addition, following her previous role as General Manager for five years at room2 Southampton, Michelle Thomas has been promoted to New Openings Manager at Lamington Group due to her dedication and impeccable results in Southampton. Michelle Thomas is a commercial, dynamic and seasoned hospitality professional with proven leadership skills and management experience, including overseeing revenue matters, guest satisfaction, and effective project implementations as well as overseeing the performance of all hotel departments, ensuring these are in line with the strategic planning and high-quality standards of the room2 hometel brand. Michelle Thomas has 15 years of experience under her belt in various hospitality roles including those in front of house, reservations, meetings and events departments.
In this new role as New Openings Manager, Michelle Thomas will be responsible for managing the pre-opening processes for all new room2 hometel openings – including the highly anticipated opening of room2 Belfast – working on operational and supplier partnerships, hiring, training and developing teams that deliver positive customer experiences, building brand engagement in local areas, and more.
Robert Godwin, Managing Director of Lamington Group notes: “We are thrilled to welcome Michelle Davis to the team and see Michelle Thomas progress in her role at Lamington Group to work on this exciting project, representing our brand’s commitment to sustainability and our values of People, Planet & Places. They will be leading the opening and operations of room2 Belfast and are expertly positioned through their excellent knowledge and local reputations to deliver our unique hometel experience where we invite every guest to feel at home. With their strong connections in the city and passionate approach to hospitality, the hometel is set to become a hub for the community, supporting both local talent and businesses.”
Offering the 24-hour service and convenience of a hotel perfectly combined with all the comforts of a home, room2 Belfast is set to become a hub in the centre of the bustling city, boasting 175 rooms across nine floors as well as a café, beautifully designed tea room, meeting and event spaces, a fully-equipped gym, bar and a spacious lounge area. With sustainability at the forefront of all room2 hometel designs, room2 Belfast will also consist of a sustainability wall designed to educate guests and will regularly host workshops with both guests and locals alike looking to adopt eco-friendly living into their everyday lives. As well as this, many items at the property have been made using recycled plastic waste and other materials – including a reception desk made using recycled soap bottles from sister property, the famed room2 Chiswick – and the hometel is also built with solar panels and a 100% renewable energy tariff.
With a desire to support local talent in addition to local suppliers, room2 Belfast is recruiting for various roles across the business now. Visit https://lamingtongroup.com/careers/#roles to find out more.
The hometel is now open for bookings at www.room2.com! For more information, visit https://room2.com/belfast/, follow @room2hometels on social media and sign up to room2’s mailing list here for exclusive offers and event notifications: https://room2.com/family/
