Peter Elson meets ROBERT NADLER, chief executive of base2stay

LIVERPOOL’S latest hotelier, Robert Nadler, has fallen in love with the city.

His enthusiasm is expressed with such conviction you are drawn to believe this entrepreneur who splits his time between here and London.

He’s even threatening to buy a push-bike to explore the city further and allow guests to use it when he’s not around.

It tickles him that a world-famous place like Liverpool is so compact.

Meantime, his other peddling involves a new up-market hotel concept for Liverpool, called base2stay, which opened in late July.

While he initially tried the concept in Kensington, London, his 106-bedroom Liverpool property is the first one tailor-made to his ideas.

The characterful hotel is converted from an 1850s former engineering works, brewery, cork warehouse and beeswax traders in Seel Street, in the atmospheric Ropewalks area.

In spite of a £14m investment, this four star-style hotel exists without its own restaurant, bar and gym.

Instead, base2stay guests get up to 20% discounts at leading nearby restaurants including Alma de Cuba, Lunya, Blue Bar and Il Forno.

The base2stay’s air-conditioned bedrooms also have mini-kitchens so guests can use the wide range of local delivery services.

“Apparently, only 10-15% of guests use their hotel’s restaurant,” said Nadler, base2stay chief executive.

“So why incur the cost of running that when people want to get out and explore the locality?

“Also, it’s about social sustainability and putting something into the community which reflects on us.

“These other businesses were stunned when we told them we didn’t want a kick-back or a rake-off from the guests we sent to them.

“It’s partly my ethos and also because, in the modern world, everything is transparent,” he said.

“Our good reputation, built up on the websites like TripAdvisor’s comments, is everything.

“There’s no truer medium of telling how you treat your guests.

“If people are happy with base2stay and spread the word, that is worth far, far more than a few pence from some other supplier.

“Our concept is about value for money and not offering a room rate which rises as the extras pile up.

“Nothing annoys guests more, but if they feel they got more than what they paid for, the opposite applies.

“This is a long-term commitment to the customer, rather than a one-off deal you walk away from.”

With his team, Liverpool’s base2stay has been brought in under budget and ahead of schedule.

“I think of myself as energetic and enthusiastic – others say I’m relentless and a control freak,” he admits.

So how did this Londoner, forced to give up a very promising career with Jones Laing as a surveyor, and take over the family fish-processing factory, get into hotels?

“I invested in a small serviced flat operation,” said Nadler. “The man who ran it got into difficulties and I was asked to sort it out.

“I thought, hang on, this is the kind of hotel I’d use if I was in a city.

“So Kensington base2stay, opened in 2006, was the testing ground, but Liverpool is the concept’s realisation.

“We chose Liverpool for sound business reasons, but were also instinctively drawn to the city and its atmosphere.

“We looked across the UK but it became clear quickly Liverpool is the coolest destination by a long way.”

The next property will be the 80-bedroom Soho base2stay, in London, in 2012, and he thinks the idea can be taken across the world.

His wife Clarissa, a French novelist, no less, designed the decor, his son Ronald painted the art work and other son Dorian sourced the furniture, fixtures and equipment.

“It worked well and we got a hotel which we couldn't have afforded otherwise – thanks to the family discount,” he laughs.

“But I’m a small investor along with Sir John McTaggart and his Western Heritable Investment, so they had to trust me this would work.

“I think this city is brilliant and I’ve had an enormous amount of fun as the hotel’s taken shape.

“I love the sense of community and knowing that people now know me.

“When you show an interest in people here, the response is dramatic.

“There’s no North-South divide. There is, however, a great deal of pride in the city. The locals love it and that communicates itself strongly.

“The city’s regeneration means people here are no longer defensive.

“I’m really happy to beat the drum and I feel like a Liverpudlian when I’m in London.”

After his father had a serious accident and prematurely retired, eldest son Nadler took over the fish factory in Camden, London.

“My father was a Romanian immigrant and left school at 11,” he said. “He felt I should start work as I’d had twice his education.

“I worked in London, Paris and Geneva, and was about to sign as Jones Laing’s youngest partner when I had to take over the family fish business. I sold it to Booker McConnell for three times what Barclays Bank said it was worth. The money we made went into the property business 35 years ago.”

With his great business acumen, he grew Compco Holdings, which took off in 1995 and was sold for £150m in 2003.

“I’ve no regrets about running the fish business, which involved smoking salmon,” he said.

“What was important was learning the important lesson that success is all down to cash flow.

“Hotels are similar, in that you have a daily cash flow.

“I’d done an evening course in accountancy and suddenly learned the difference between cash and accrual accounting.

“The first type is in the bank and the second you can whistle for.

“It was a really good lesson running a small business week-to-week.

“I was a kid who was the boss and the staff know you don’t know what you’re talking about.

“But, as boss in a small firm on the shop floor, you have to learn to do everything.

“I found out what life is like for people working hard on low salaries.

“Many professionals never come into contact with ordinary people.

“I worked seven days a week, on 15-hour days, getting up at 3am to go to the fish market, which gives you a very different perspective.

“My pride in working hard is more than just simple numbers on a page for an accountant.

“Producing happy guests or good smoked salmon is what works for me.

“My belief is that reward without labour is almost like stealing.

“My father was a businessman and I suppose I’ve inherited his genes.

“Acumen is about analysing things and then going with a gut feeling.

“If you don’t have that, you’ll never consistently make the right judgments.

“It can be developed to an extent and be helped by mentoring. Luckily, I’ve got a fantastic team who have worked with me for a long time.

“For me, the most important thing is commitment. You have to be prepared to do anything and leading from the front means doing more.

“I want to do business properly, that’s more important than making a lot of money. I don’t want to cut people out or do them down.”