Care home launches unique partnership with French champagne house allowing residents to live in luxury

The joint venture involving Portsdown View in Bedhampton and Lanson is an industry-first for the elderly care sector, with no other home in the UK currently offering a service like it.

READ NOW: See pictures of city in 1992

Residents will be able enjoy a beauty spa, a cinema, fine-dining room, a bistro and access to a chauffeur-driven Mercedes. And like other luxury amenities at the home, it will be provided on an unlimited basis as part of an all-inclusive fee, with no extra charges.

Parent company Connaught Care Group, which opened Portsdown View in June 2023, hopes such “luxury initiatives” will help lay the foundation for a bold new approach to elderly care.

Connaught Group chairman Seamus Halton said: “This is a groundbreaking partnership with a brand like ours that epitomises elegance, luxury and authenticity. When we opened Portsdown View in June, our vision was to create a five star hotel with the added bonus of full-time care.

“We are aiming to redefine the art of luxury and wellbeing in later life. Services like champagne, fine dining and spa treatments are an important part of that offering. Our message is simple: entering a home should be an exciting new chapter of life. That’s why going above and beyond the basic necessities of care is so crucial and ensures the residents live a life more extraordinary.”

The aim of Connaught’s quality-of-life focused approach is to bring luxury and elegance to the care home experience. By including residents’ families and guests in the champagne deal, the company also wants to encourage a broader understanding of a home’s duty of care – covering not just residents, but their whole support network as well.

Mr Halton added: “Our customers are not just our residents: we regard their families and friends as our customers too. Their happiness is just as important to us. We feel our duty of care extends beyond our residents to everyone who cares for and supports them.”

Connaught Care Group has recognised a natural synergy between itself and Lanson Champagne. Founded in 1760, Lanson is the 4th oldest champagne house in the world and an official supplier of champagne to the British Royal Family. The coat of arms of Elizabeth II is depicted on each bottle.

The same approach extends to hiring and recruitment. Connaught is committed to hiring and retaining 25% more on-duty staff than its competitors, and to paying the highest salaries available in the marketplace to ensure we have the best staff retainment.

Commenting on the new partnership, UK managing director of Champagne Lanson, Robert Rand, said: "Over our 260-year history, Champagne Lanson has supplied our cuvées to all kinds of customers around the world. Nevertheless, partnering with Connaught Care is something none of us would have envisaged. Quite simply, nothing like this has ever been done before. Champagne Lanson firmly believes our champagnes have the power to bring people together. They are made to be gifted and shared with loved ones, and we are thrilled to bring that experience to the residents of Portsdown View."

Connaught plans to open six more homes across 2024 and 2025 including in Swindon, Chichester, Stratford-upon-Avon, Crawley, Bishop’s Stortford and St Neots.