Central Beach Leisure new owners of the Royal Carlton Hotel in Blackpool reveal luxury plans and opening date
A prominent Blackpool hotel recently bought out by new owners is set to rebrand as a luxury boutique hotel, restaurant and bar, it has been revealed.
John and Elishar Westhead under the umbrella of Central Beach Leisure bought the Royal Carlton Hotel on Central Promenade back in May.
They have now revealed their exciting plans to redevelop the 38-bedroom hotel into a luxury boutique hotel.
The hotel will also boast a luxury restaurant and bar branded as XI (Eleven).
It is hoped have the popular hotel, whose new name is still to be decided, will reopen in April.
Central Beach Leisure also manage around 35 luxury apartments for serviced accommodation, which is set to rise to more than 80 by April 2026.
The plans have been announced as Central Beach Leisure appoints Nik MacFadden as General Manager from today.
Nik joins Central Beach Leisure with more than 15 years’ senior leadership experience within the hospitality and leisure sector, bringing a strong reputation for commercial delivery, operational excellence and people leadership.
Throughout his career, he has led large and complex operations, delivered sustained revenue growth, improved profitability, raised service standards, and built highly engaged, high-performing teams.
Central Beach Leisure said this appointment reflects its commitment to operating as a best-in-class hospitality business, with a clear focus on quality, professionalism and long-term sustainability.
In his new role, Nik will assume full operational responsibility for: The company’s luxury boutique hotel project (Former Royal Carlton Hotel) ; The XI bar and restaurant and a rapidly growing serviced accommodation portfolio.
Nikolas MacFadden, General Manager, Central Beach Leisure, said: “I am genuinely thrilled to be joining Central Beach Leisure and to be working closely with John and Elishar on such an exciting and ambitious set of projects.
“What really attracted me was the clarity of vision, the scale of opportunity, and the commitment to doing things properly — with quality, integrity and high standards at the core.I’m looking forward to helping build something truly best in class, not just for Blackpool, but within the wider UK hospitality and serviced accommodation sector.”
John Westhead, Director at Central Beach Leisure, said: “We are absolutely delighted to appoint Nik into this role.This is a key senior appointment for the business, and to secure someone of Nik’s calibre, experience and proven success speaks volumes about our ambitions.
“His track record across large-scale hotels, complex leisure operations and high-performing teams aligns perfectly with our goal of being a serious, best-in-class operator within the resort.
“We are incredibly excited to see how this role develops and the impact Nik will have as we move into our next phase of growth.”