Elegant Hotels Group plc (LON:EHG) CEO Sunil Chatrani talks to DirectorsTalk about its FY 2018 results. Sunil explains what has been behind the 5% increase in revenue for the year, other areas of operational progress, the market dynamics in Barbados at the moment, how they attract new visitors and how the year is looking in terms of underlying trading as well as expansion plans.
We also caught up with Zeus Capital Director of Research Mike Allen, who talks us through the FY18 results, the outlook for the company, explains how and why he has tweaked the forecast and shares his thoughts on the company’s valuation.
Elegant Hotels owns and operates seven luxury freehold hotels and a beachfront restaurant, Daphne’s, on the island of Barbados. The Group’s portfolio currently comprises 588 rooms, making it twice as large (by room number) as the closest competitor in the Barbados luxury hotel room market. Six of the seven properties are situated along the prestigious west coast of Barbados commonly known as the “Platinum Coast”. The properties are all freehold, with a total aggregate plot size of approximately 23 acres and an aggregate beachfront of 2,600 feet.
In the year ended 30 September 2018, the Group achieved revenue of $63 million and EBITDA before non-recurring items of $19.7 million.
Together, the Group’s seven existing hotels – Colony Club, Treasure Beach, Tamarind, The House, Crystal Cove, Turtle Beach and Waves Hotel & Spa – offer styles encompassing classic and contemporary, family-friendly and adults-only. The Group also has a management contract for Hodges Bay Resort in Antigua and a sales and marketing contract for The Landings Resort & Spa in St. Lucia.
The Group’s strategy is to leverage its position as a leading hotel operator in Barbados and to expand both on Barbados as well as further into the Caribbean.