Swiss hotel contract endorses machinery purchase at Yorkshire manufacturer

A Yorkshire business has been hired to supply materials required to develop a hotel in one of Switzerland’s most historic towns. 

York Handmade Brick Company, based at Alne, near Easingwold, supplied over 40,000 brick slips and 30,000 paving cobbles for Lo Dze, a new hotel development in Martigny.

Above ground. Lo Dze comprises Borsari, a boutique hotel with 50 rooms and the Kitchen 180, which services La Saucithèque bar, Le Cercle restaurant and Café Alphonse, the courtyard and terraces.

Below ground Lo Dze features a Roman-style bathing experience, “Les Bains Publics”, in a space that was formerly Les Caves Orsat, a 19th Century winery.

York Handmade says its contract to supply the hotel’s builders is a “resounding endorsement” of its recent decision to invest £1.5m in new machinery.

John Cretton, of QDS Leisure, who masterminded the hotel development, said: “The result is superb. The exterior at once conveys the mass of the objects and the history of the town as well as the extraordinary material quality of the underground Roman Baths, Les Bains Publics.

“York Handmade’s products gave us that and a bonus to boot – a building that stands out from the pack; no one just walks by Lo Dze.

“We have used York Handmade’s pavers to complete the public areas in the project, denoting areas that are both for circulation and al fresco dining.

“The brick slips cover the buildings that sit on the main street side of the project, linking the building architecturally with its baths and the town’s Roman heritage.”

Mark Laksevics, sales & CPD manager for York Handmade, said: “It has been a tremendous boost for our factory and a great honour to contribute to a pioneering and innovative development in such an historic town.

“I have been proud to work closely with John Cretton of QDS Leisure for the past two years to ensure that our bricks are perfect for this development. The result is amazing and is a magnificent showcase for our bricks. 

“A shout-out should also go to Tiffany Thomas, our hard-working and extremely efficient Sales Office and Logistics manager, who ensured all our bricks arrived safely and seamlessly in Martigny on time.”

David Armitage, chairman of York Handmade, added: “We have invested £1.5m in new machinery which has transformed how we make our bricks.

“Over the years, we have undertaken significant technological improvements, culminating in this overhaul and renewal of our manufacturing process, which has speeded up production, facilitated two brand-new products and increased efficiency.

“This has proved to be a transformational move, by far the biggest and most significant in our history.”