South Western Railway’s fee-free ticket platform for companies offers organisations baked-in options to help manage bookings
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Travelling for work often comes with conditions and strict budgets.
But every location also arrives with opportunity – the chance to discover something new, even if it’s just to dip one’s toe in local culture.
Take Bournemouth, for example.
Gazing out across Poole Bay, with Swanage and The Needles of the Isle Of Wight visible from its sandy beaches, it sits two hours south of London via South Western Railway’s direct services from Waterloo.
Today it’s a place of holidays, study at the university and commerce – especially at the expansive Bournemouth International Centre.
While the heart of the town has gone though some modernisation, its pleasure gardens (including a well-stocked aviary), seafront theatre and pier remain symbols of a place that was once the seaside playground of the rich and famous.
Which brings me to The Royal Bath Hotel.
Today it’s run by the Britannia Hotels chain, meaning prices for a small double room (without windows) start at £75.
It’s a budget option when visiting the town, but this sprawling Grade II listed pile offers something none of the other low-priced establishments locally can muster.
Firstly, it’s enormous, with a grand cafe feel to its lobby, a massive restaurant and a ballroom with an impressive barrel-vaulted ceiling.
It’s all just minutes from the beach, a glorious relic from a time when British seaside tourism boomed.
an historic destination
Opened in 1838 on the day of Queen Victoria’s coronation, the hotel’s most prosperous times came under the ownership of Merton and Annie Russell-Cotes.
The couple transformed its fortunes, attracting a string of celebrities and even royalty to the town as well as playing an important role in improving its rail connections.
Merton met and married Annie while he was working as a travelling salesman, a career that lasted a decade and gave him a solid grounding in what people expected from the places they were staying.
Relocating to Annie’s native Glasgow, the couple purchased the lease of the Hanover Hotel, running it successfully before selling up and acquiring the Royal Bath in a move to the south coast that was partly made with the hope the warmer climate would improve Merton’s health.
Between 1876 and 1880 they extended and extensively refurbished it, the foundation of a business that would make them wealthy enough to travel the world.
From 1884 they visited Australasia, America, India, the Near East, Egypt, the Pacific Islands and Japan and collected voraciously, filling the Royal Bath’s public and private rooms with treasures.
It attracted the likes of the Prince Of Wales (before he became Edward VII), Benjamin Disraeli and the painter Hubert Von Herkomer, as well as Oscar Wilde and his lover Lord Alfred Douglas.
Wilde described it as a place that has taken “the greatest beauty and elegance of a palace and filled it with gems of art for the use and benefit of the public at hotel prices”.
Eventually the couple’s collections outgrew the hotel and in 1897 they created the eccentric East Cliff Hall next door as both a way to display their artworks and objects and as a luxury home for themselves serviced largely by hotel staff.
Sir Merton and Lady Annie, who served as mayor and mayoress of Bournemouth decided to leave their house and collection to the people of the town.
an extraordinary collection
Today, the Russell-Cotes Art Gallery And Museum showcases those pieces, with much of the house presented as it would have been in its owners’ day.
Furniture and ornaments are not kept in cabinets, with visitors free to explore the spaces, warned only to not sit on seats adorned with a dried thistle.
The collection is broad – everything from high art to Victorian tourist tat.
The couple had a taste for vibrant paintings of cattle and horses as much as they went in for Biblical and classical scenes.
The house itself blends architectural styles into something of a fantasy palace with some of the best views over the sea in Bournemouth.
It may have been self interest, but Merton was instrumental in bringing the railway into the town.
Today that decision simply means easier access to the pleasures of its seafront, not least those found in his former home.
- The Russell-Cotes Art Gallery And Museum is located at East Cliff Promenade and is open Tuesday to Sunday and Bank Holidays from 10am-5pm.
Tickets cost £12.50 for adults and £6 for children aged 5-17.
Find out more about the museum here
visit Westbourne
Head up the hill from the town centre of Bournemouth and you’ll find this pleasant, up-market area centred around a Victorian arcade that’s packed with shops selling curiosities and books.
Our top tip is to stop off at Coya By Nicholas James, a wine and cocktail bar offering pleasantly constructed small plates.
Recently opened, the interior features vibrant posters in frames, zinc-topped high tables and leather banquettes.
We try a succession of dishes for £10 each including crispy Tempura Prawns with a sticky chilli jam, an earthy Spiced Houmus with roasted vegetables and toothsome Salt And Pepper Squid with ponzu dipping sauce.
It’s all solid stuff and ideal for taking the edge off a pair of classic Margaritas – two for £15 all day, every day.
Once sated, follow the trail celebrating former resident Robert Louis Stevenson and his adventurous fiction down to the sea where the Alum Beach Hut provides views over the water and plenty of well-appointed refreshments to tourists and locals alike.
It’s worth booking ahead in nice weather.
Find out more about Coya here and the Alum Beach Hut here
dine at Key West Restaurant
>> No trip to Bournemouth would be complete without striding out onto its squat, muscular pier.
With waves crashing all around, stroll its full length to Key West Restaurant for breakfast overlooking the sea, all served under the unexpected calm of the venue’s breathtaking glitter ball.
The place does a decent Full English for £15.95, a premium price but well worth it for the view.
The service is slick and the flavours nostalgic.
It’s the kind of place where, if you hang around until evening, you might just catch Elvis on stage.
After dining, consider indulging in a zip line back to the beach. It’s the quickest way to return to the sandy comforts of the shore.
Find out more about Key West Restaurant here
on track with SWR’s Joe Thurgood
Q
I’m formulating a travel policy for employees at my company. What are the benefits of doing this and how can the SWR Business Direct platform help us apply it to journeys made by staff?
A
Travel policies. They are a must if you want to save money while also increasing productivity.
But if we are honest, creating one and actually getting people to follow it is a whole other ball game.
Booking out of policy, handing in tired looking receipts or reserving the most expensive tickets, because: “Hey, it’s not my money”, are just some of the scenarios that you are going to face if you don’t have one.
These things all use valuable time and resources that could be spent chasing sales and improving productivity.
This is where SWR Business Direct can save you time and money.
The platform allows you book rail travel across the entire national network and all you pay is the ticket price.
- rules built right into the system
You can bake your guidelines directly into the booking process.
If your policy says “standard class only” or requires booking advance tickets, the platform can enforce it automatically. No more awkward conversations about bookings.
- track each journey
Not only can you track aspects such as carbon footprint and ticket savings, but you can also record the reasons for travel, job numbers and client names. The choice is yours.
- one simple invoice
Say goodbye to a mountain of individual expense reports. Everything goes onto centralised billing, meaning less paperwork for staff and total transparency for finance teams.
Essentially, it turns your travel policy from a dusty document nobody reads into a seamless, automated system.
The team gets an incredibly easy way to book their train journeys and you get total peace of mind that you’re staying on budget.
key details: SWR Business Direct
SWR Business Direct is free to use and allows companies to book, plan and manage business travel across the whole of Britain. There are no hidden fees or charges and no booking fees on tickets purchased via the service.
You can find full details of the platform on SWR’s website here.
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