We started with a piece of land in 2006 in Thornaby at the hub of the Tees Valley
road network. Where better for us to build 27 state-of-art apartments!

No sooner was the development completed in 2008 than the Financial Crisis came
crashing down. No one was buying. No one was renting. Where else could we find a
market? As established business people in the area, we used our contacts to
identify growth areas in an apparently bleak landscape.

Opportunities

The Tees Valley was, and still is, undergoing economic regeneration by means of
long-term, large-scale industrial projects with financial provision made before the
recession and projected well into the future. Typically belonging to multinationals,
these projects involved engineers and other specialist being mobilised from many
parts of the world to work on-site for extended periods.
Although the idea of serviced apartments was still not yet established, we decorated
and furnished the Thornaby apartments and launched the simple ESA concept to
compete with hotels:

– Home from home executive quality
– Tailored exclusively for business users
– Nightly rate per apartment not per person
– Weekly housekeeping service

It met with such a successful reception from the market, we identified opportunities in
choice central positions at the strategic locations of Yarm, Middlesbrough and
Hartlepool Marina.

Yarm to the south is easily the most sought-after place to live in the Tees Valley
area, and we were fortunate to buy into a cluster of apartments which, though newly
built, is minutes from the bustle of this old market town’s vibrant High Street.

Middlesbrough, is very much the biggest town in the Tees Valley, central in every
respect – geographic, commercial, retail, cultural and sporting. Our apartments are
located in landmark new developments.

Hartlepool Marina to the north is right beside the sea. We own apartments in
exceptionally self-contained enclave with shops, cafes and entertainment on the
doorstep.
Today, we are unrivalled as the region’s provider of serviced apartments solely for
businesses, and the only one to be accredited by ASAP, the Association of Serviced
Apartment Providers. We are continuing to develop the offer to a wider corporate
market with the launch of Essential apartments to complement the Elite range.