An unforgettable guest experience demands attention to detail, so when Forest Holidays set about exploring how they could make their woodland cabins easy to clean and maintain without compromising their premium aesthetic, the specification of bathroom and kitchen surfaces would need to be carefully considered.

As with any business operating in the hospitality industry, speed of changeover between guests is essential, so Forest Holidays’ housekeeping team needs to be able to clean to a high standard within a limited timeframe. The same goes for the business’s maintenance team, which is responsible for completely refurbishing any dated cabins in as little as a week to maximise availability.

Forest Holidays first engaged with us on the project back, in 2017 after its interior design team proposed the waterproof panelling system, Nuance, was trialled within the network of woodland locations. The trial soon resulted in the first location-wide use of Nuance at Forest Holidays’ Beddgelert location in 2018.

It was the success of the Beddegelert project and products that sparked the inclusion of Nuance within the standard specification of Forest Holidays’ new cabins from that point onwards. Specifically, panelling systems are provided for the bathrooms in the company’s Golden Oak, Golden Oak Treehouse, Golden Oak Treehouse Pod, White Willow Premium, Silver Birch and Silver Birch Accessible cabins. Consequently, Bushboard now specifies and supplies a wide range of products to the staycation specialist’s procurement team and appointed building contractor, who are equally comfortable with the ease at which the product is to work with for these cabins.

“Component specification for any accommodation revolves around three things – quality, practicality, and availability,” explains Mark Sheppard, Head of Procurement at Forest Holidays. “However, where a high level of detail is required, none of these factors can be compromised, and that was the case for our locations and cabins.

“We therefore knew that any supplier would have a challenge on their hands, ensuring aesthetically appealing panels that were easy to fit and clean would be available within often tight turnarounds. However, our previous work with Bushboard at Beddegelert gave us confidence that we could integrate its surfaces into the standard spec for any new cabins moving forward.”

A Nuanced approach

“The Forest Holidays team was especially interested in our Nuance waterproof panelling systems during our work at Beddegelert,” says George Emms, Specification Sales Manager at Bushboard. “As well as not requiring jointing trims, the option to have postformed end panels removes the necessity for end trims, which gives the whole bathroom a more sophisticated look. To our client, this was just as important as the speed of installation.

“The discrete finish and lack of space for dirt and bacteria to form also meshed well with Forest Holidays’ desire for an easy-to-clean modern look, which is always a priority with a project of this kind.”

The unique benefits of Bushboard’s Nuance surfaces come from a similarly unique manufacturing procedure. This involves two elements – a decorative, textured Bushboard horizontal grade postforming high-pressure panel certified to EN 438 and ISO 4586, and a waterproof substrate. These are bonded together on one side using a PUR Hot Melt polyurethane adhesive that is resistant to moisture and high temperatures.

A white or grey vertical grade postforming high-pressure laminate backer is then bonded to the other side of the substrate, resulting in an easy-to-clean, durable non-porous surface for bathrooms. These benefits, alongside the product being easy to cut, drill and – thanks to tongue-and-groove joints – easy to fit on-location, continue to make an impression on the Forest Holidays team six years later.

Recognised for refurbishment

Solutions provided included Bushboard’s Nuance Platinum Travertine and Turin Marble for bathroom walls, as well as Natural Greystone and Stableford Oak from Wilsonart for vanity units and kitchen worktops.

“We worked closely with the Forest Holidays team from the beginning of this project to really understand what they wanted and put forward the best possible solutions with that in mind,” explains George. “The focus on a high-end aesthetics meant that panels without trims would hold significant appeal again. Plus, the function of these surfaces and their surrounding environment had to be considered. Kitchens and bathrooms are often high-traffic areas, meaning any selected panels needed to be highly durable while also being easy to clean to a high standard during turnaround times for new guests.”

Taking to the template

The clean, modern and luxurious look offered by the Nuance range is now a prominent part of Forest Holidays’ fast-moving refurbishment plans for its other cabins, as Mark describes.

“When it comes to the renovation or refurbishment of our existing cabins, each one needs to be renovated within a week, so time will always be of the essence. Bushboard always rise to that challenge as expected, which our maintenance teams are very pleased with – given the compressed timeframes they need to work in to refit a cabin, they are big fans of how easy the Nuance range is to work with.”

He continues: “Beyond the logistics, the new panels have really made an impact on our business. The housekeeping team have two hours to turn around each cabin for new guests, so being able to avoid the maintenance issues that come with cleaning tiles was highly appreciated. In fact, the cleanliness has even been noticed and remarked upon by our guests.”

Planning for the future

The success of the recent renovation works is set to have long-lasting consequences for both Forest Holidays and Bushboard. With Forest Holidays planning to open new locations over the next three years, Wilsonart’s Bushboard products will take pride of place in each cabin’s bathroom and kitchen.

“Bushboard’s Nuance range has now been used on every new or refurbished cabin since 2018 and there’s clearly a reason for this,” Mark explains. “The quality of Bushboard’s products and services have both been excellent. Our refurbishment works must be carried out within strict timescales and to an extremely high standard, so it has been great to find a trusted supplier who can deliver on both criteria.

“What especially stood out to me was that stock availability was never an issue for Bushboard in the way it might have been for other organisations. They were able to get high-quality panels to locations within project timelines and schedules regardless of where the cabins were in the UK, which is no mean feat. We are therefore highly confident that the quality of the work we have seen at Beddegelert and beyond will be replicated at Forest Holidays’ new locations.

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