The owner of Orkney’s Stromness Hotel confirmed it will not sell alcohol as part of a nascent socially-engaged hotel chain.
Jersey-based Payman Investment already owns a dozen hotels and has three more in the pipeline, says CEO Na’im Anis Payman, on a call from Albania.
“There is no huge money pot,” says Payman, saying the chain’s expansion is funded from bank financing.
Its eclectic portfolio already offers stays in locations from Stoke-on-Trent to Ulaanbaatar and points between.
Payman follows baha’i, a faith barring the consumption and sale of alcohol, but he notes his view also fits with science.
The company’s alcohol-free approach is best seen as part of a human and women’s rights agenda, says chief impact officer Tahirih Danesh.
The details of Stromness’s offer are still being finalised, but a common feature of all the hotels will be strong ties with local communities, Danesh says.
It will definitely include serving soothing alcohol-free drinks in the public Flattie Bar. Other possible options will include a spa, massage, yoga and tai chi.
The hotel will not be entirely alcohol-free either, because guests at events like weddings will be allowed to bring their own supply.
Payman says the clarified alcohol-free plan now has significant public and private support, having caused a rumpus when first floated in August. ■