Fire & Wine Group

Priory Caerleon · Market Intelligence Radar

Our own site is the biggest threat on this radar.

Thursday 27 August 2026 Issue #24 7 core venues · 3 watchlist All issues

The call

The market is beatable. Our website isn't in the game.

Do this today

Delete the dead banners and publish a priced, bookable /christmas page. The Angel has festive dates but no published prices — the boutique festive shelf is still empty and we can take it this week.

01

What moved

  1. Priory site: zero festive content, and banners two Christmases oldNew
    Full-site audit — 17 pages, sitemap, JS bundles, PDFs. /christmas, /festive, /nye all 404; keyword sweep returned zero hits. Every package page runs a banner whose Book Now is hardcoded to arrival=2023-12-31 and arrival=2024-02-14. Corporate rate card expired March 2026. Afternoon tea menu link dead.
  2. The Angel's festive is dated but unpricedNew
    Goose Feast 20 Nov, Thanksgiving 26 Nov, festive dining from 27 Nov, Christmas Eve, NYE — all live. No per-person price anywhere; it sits behind a brochure. No Christmas Day listing. They are ahead on dates, not on price.
  3. Full Angel package ladder captured with prices
    Whitecastle £748 (13 Sep) · Gourmet Break £696 (18 Sep) · Foraging £365 (25 Oct) · Winter Wonderland £330 (30 Dec) · Shades of Autumn £285 (27 Nov) · January Flash £260 (31 Jan 27) · Walnut Tree dinner £240 (18 Sep). Gourmet Break shows £762 on its own page — prices moving up, not down.
  4. Heaneys served notice by Cardiff CouncilNew
    26 Aug, after a neighbour noise investigation. Two days earlier Uisce applied to extend outdoor hours to 10pm/11pm against resident objections. Still zero AA Rosettes since February.
  5. The Hardwick is under offer at £600kCorrection
    The hospice change-of-use was withdrawn in May 2024, not left unresolved. Asking cut £825k to £625k; agent confirms a £600k offer received. Eight letting rooms, marketed for restaurant-with-rooms reuse.
  6. Treasury opened a business rates review on 24 AugNew
    Call for evidence on valuation methodology for pubs and hotels, England and Wales, closes 16 Oct. Median hotel rateable value up 32.2% since 2023. UKH puts hotels at +110% over three years.
  7. Newport Food Festival returns Sat 3 October
    70+ stalls across Westgate Square, Bridge Street and High Street, chef demos in Newport Market. Three miles away, and new to this radar.
02

Threats

High
Ourselves — thepriorycaerleon.co.uk
No festive 2026 content in any form. Live banners sell Valentine's 2024 and book into New Year's Eve 2023.
A couple researching December lands on an event from two Christmases ago and cannot book anything. We are losing bookings to venues that simply published — and doing brand damage on the way. Entirely within our control.
High
Celtic Manor / ICC Wales
December priced and trading three miles away: party nights £50–£70pp, festive stays from £135 B&B, early-bird already closed 14 Aug.
Seventh issue leading this board. Volume product with shuttles to 1,000+ rooms, banking group and corporate decisions now. We don't beat it on scale — but we can't beat it with nothing.
Moderate
The Angel / House of Caradog
Eight dated packages running to January 2027, prices rising, plus a Michelin-starred restaurant now inside the same group to sell as package content.
Same guest, same occasion, same price band, every week covered. The mitigant: their festive prices are still unpublished, so the boutique festive shelf is not yet taken.
Moderate
The Hardwick, Abergavenny
Dormant eight-room restaurant-with-rooms under offer at 27% below its 2024 asking price.
The Abergavenny premium-casual gap we've enjoyed for three years now has a live route to closing. A buyer at £600k has room to invest and price sharply. Watch, don't act.
03

Price benchmark

VenueWhat they chargeRead
The Priory£25 / £29 house · £45 filletADR target £120+ · SPH £57+ · no published room rate
The Whitebrook£470–£580 per nightDinner, B&B for two. Lunch £64, tasting £95 / £145. Four days a week
The Angel£285–£330 per breakDinner-inclusive. Gourmet Break pushing £696 → £762
Asador 44£30 / £35 set · £69 sirloinWeekday set lunch 12–3. Xmas 2026 menu already published
Celtic Manor£50–£70pp party nightFestive stays from £135 per room B&B
04

Opportunities

05

Actions

Next 48 hours

  1. Kill the stale banners
    Live on every package and event page, booking into dead dates. Twenty minutes. Same pass: fix the afternoon tea link and pull the expired corporate PDF.
  2. Publish festive 2026 — dated and priced
    A /christmas page with festive dining dates, two or three Fire & Wine festive nights, a festive DBB with a price, and NYE with a number instead of "Let's go big."
  3. Put the food festival DBB live for 18–20 Sep
    Room plus a held table. Carried from #22 and #23 and still not done.

Next 2–4 weeks

  1. Build our own dated package ladder
    Autumn couples' break, festive DBB, January break. Price on identity, not discount — the Angel's band is £285–£330 and the Whitebrook takes £470+.
  2. Stage a Newport Food Festival play for 3 Oct
    A fire-feast or wine-paired dinner the evening of the festival. Nothing in Newport competes at our tier.
  3. Submit to the Treasury rates call for evidence
    Before 16 Oct, to PubsHotels.Valuation@hmtreasury.gov.uk. Our own valuation history, in writing.
06

Hold — no response needed