The four-star hotel next to Cambridge Park will now be known as ‘The Duke’.
The rebranding is part of a refurbishment being carried out by the Little Big Group, which bought the hotel last year and has now added it to its hotel portfolio.
The new name is just one of the changes being made to make the establishment more welcoming and contemporary.
Group managing director Charlie Walker said she wanted to bring the hotel to a new generation.
‘But we want to achieve that while remaining faithful to the many people who have visited the hotel in the past and still return as guests,’ she said.
‘The trick is finding that balance behind making everyone welcome and still being high-end.’
The hotel closed on 1 January following its New Year’s Eve party and immediately embarked on a six-week refurbishment intended to see a reopening in time for Valentine’s Day.
‘It’s hugely ambitious and it’s been all hands on deck,’ said Ms Walker.
‘Staff are either here mucking in or on holiday. There are things like the weather outside our control, but fingers crossed we will be reopening in time for Valentine’s weekend, to put some shine on what can be a depressing month.’
The primary focus of the refurb are the public-facing parts of the hotel – the reception, bar and restaurant – as well as giving the outside a coat of paint.
Gone are the black and white rooms and colonial-inspired decor.
Rather than using a designer, the new look has been created in-house.
‘Everything we do at Little Big could fit under the heading “boutique”.
‘We want to create an atmosphere of real warmth and there will be a playful mature colour scheme,’ she said.
‘My mum and I went for an amazing shop in Paris in September for the accessories and they are all on-island and ready to be fitted to create that boutique, cocktail townhouse vibe.’
The 73 bedrooms will be tackled in a second phase in the future.
Although The Duke is one of Guernsey’s largest hotels, it is not the biggest hotel in the Little Big Group, beaten by the Peninsula’s 90 rooms.
‘The Duke is a very different four-star to the Peninsula,’ said Ms Walker.
‘It’s a little more upmarket, rather than being by the beach, you could be in a quaint corner of London.’
The Duke stands on the site originally occupied by what is generally accepted to be Guernsey’s oldest hotel, with an establishment known to be there as early at 1815.
The hotel was originally named after the Third Duke of Richmond, Charles Lennox, who as Master of the Ordnance commissioned a famous map of the island of Guernsey in 1769.
‘A lot of the staff have been here a long time and are really excited to see the transition to the new era,’ she said.
‘We want less of a dress code and more of a feeling of being welcome to all.
‘That’s what the new name is about, we want to acknowledge the hotel’s heritage but move it forward.’
Hotel group achieved record turnover in 2025
The Little Big Hotel Group saw record turnover in 2025 and said the level of current investment across the industry made the group optimistic for the future of tourism in the island.
Group managing director Charlie Walker pointed to investment at La Grande Mare, the Bella Luce and Vraic, as well as its own investment at the Duke of Richmond, as positive examples.
‘We are riding that wave and making a significant investment now for what we hope will be a long-term gain,’ she said.
‘Seeing that investment rather than closures adds to our own confidence.’
Ms Walker said a busy 2025 had made the business optimistic about another good season in 2026.
‘Forward bookings already looking promising,’ she said.
‘2025 brought a lot of French visitors, but they were mainly day-trippers so hopefully this year we will see a few more overnights.
‘If each of those French visitors left thinking positively and tells 10 friends about their experience, we can have some big wins on referrals.’
Ms Walker said that part of the reasoning for updating the image at their latest acquisition was to attract more locals to events and to dine.
‘We need that local trade as well,’ she said.
‘We are planning some amazing events to bring islanders in. You have to be inventive and creative and build experiences that people can enjoy.
‘Of course we need the weather to be with us, but fingers crossed we are looking forward to an exciting year.’