Hornington Investments Ltd and its associated companies are a hospitality and property business that owns various assets throughout the UK. But wise investments don’t end with a purchase. After all, ensuring that new properties have all the appropriate utilities requires additional, sometimes significant, expenditures. This is especially true for large buildings, such as the Mercure Hotel in Somerset, whose energy consumption can reach 10% of its revenue.

Making the right business decisions

Hornington has been operating for several decades and worked with all possible energy providers. 

The company recently settled on British Gas as its gas and electricity partner for six properties, including the Mercure Hotel. “We’re always looking at ways to improve financial efficiency,” says Deepak Chainrai, Director and CEO of Hornington. “That was one of the reasons we went with British Gas.”

But there was another very compelling reason to trust British Gas over other providers. It offered priceless advice to support the new Hornington venture in qualifying for credit. “We followed their advice and we got the account and a good rate. Our account manager at British Gas made this possible and saved us money in the process. He’s been absolutely fantastic, very supportive, and given us very good guidance. We’re very thankful to him and British Gas,” says Chainrai. By joining British Gas, Hornington is also benefiting from Zero Carbon electricity as standard, which is backed by electricity from renewable energy sources and nuclear generation, supporting its Net Zero goals.

Expertise as part of the package

In addition to relying on British Gas for its energy, Hornington also uses the online account for related data. “We use it all the time to download the invoices,” says Chainrai. “We also use it to provide readings for the properties that are not on a smart meter. It doesn’t help us manage usage, but it helps us manage our payments which is essential.” It allows the company to pay only for the energy consumed, thereby avoiding estimated bills that might be higher than the usage, which in the hospitality business can mean significant costs. But energy and online services are not the only British Gas offering. Hornington and its Mercure Hotel rely on the provider’s expertise to plan for the future and make smart decisions. 

Trust-based partnership

Although British Gas has been the most efficient and logical partner, it’s also important for Chainani and his team to build the right business allies. “Our British Gas account manager frequently sends us market updates regarding trends and takes the time to share consumption data other utility companies will not take the time to share,” says Chainani. “You don’t always have to get the best deal as long as you’re getting something else of value out of that relationship.” Hornington leaders have been so happy with the support they’ve been receiving that they’ve even recommended British Gas to other companies and hopes to include the provider in its future business growth.

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