Resort-style

Joinery Bernhard Schubert

The epitome of an English country house by the sea, the four-star Hotel Miramar occupies one of the most spectacular vantage points in Bournemouth, a large resort town on the south coast of England. Designed in true Edwardian style, the popular wedding venue features curved balconies, ornate plaster cornices, and timber skirting and architraves.

With the existing chimneys and flues boarded up long ago, the idea of resurrecting the redundant fireplaces seemed impossible. That was until hotel bosses saw EcoSmart Fire’s range of bioethanol fuelled fireplaces on display at a trade show.

“For many years the fireplaces in the hotel [had] been purely decorative because our chimneys [were] no longer functional, so when we saw EcoSmart Fire at the Independent Hotel Show and discovered their burners needed no fume extraction, we knew we had to have them.”

Theo Lakimov, Hotel Miramar’s head of operations.

Not only has EcoSmart Fire reinvigorated the original fireplaces with an environmentally friendly alternative for guests to enjoy, but also provided a cost-effective heating solution that has had a direct effect on the building’s bottom line.

“We are really pleased with the final result and our guests think the fires are absolutely fantastic,” says Theo. “The fireplaces now look stunning and in the winter give the hotel an incredibly cosy feel. In fact, they give off a surprisingly effective amount of heat. For example, this winter we were able to turn the central heating off in the main foyer and just rely on the heat from the fires alone.

“They’re easy to use, safe, and clean and we are extremely happy with the final result.”

By closing the dampener or blocking off the chimney with a metal plate, EcoSmart’s Grate Inserts make it easy to increase efficiency of a traditional fire conversion.

“Often people think that once a chimney has been blocked up then that’s the end of a fireplace, however bioethanol can change all that,” says Paul Holt, Smart Fire UK business manager. “The EcoSmart burners are extremely flexible and can be fitted almost anywhere. Not only have we reinvigorated existing fireplaces but we’ve pushed the boundaries of fireplace design.”