HOW IT HAPPENED

From Cesspool to Success!

Gill and I first noticed the property go on the market in 2000, when it was a semi-derelict manor house with a small B&B annex.
Set in what can only be described as slightly overgrown gardens with swimming (cess) pool filled with discarded empty oil cans and a dead rat trying to do the backstroke.
We instantly fell in love with it, the hotel not the dead rat, and we therefore decided to buy it and began our incredible journey to transform the derelict manor house into the 3 star hotel it is today.

This section of the manor house had been possibly the worst neglected, as amongst other things it contained plastic bags filled with things you could only imagine and we later discovered the reason for that; it had been used to house illegal immigrants which when the police raided it, they had managed to apprehend over thirty individuals.

The timing of our purchase of Grimscote Manor Hotel couldn’t have been a better, as work on the new M6 Toll Road had just begun and we were therefore almost instantly full. Our initial clientele were the contractors for the toll road, and therefore wanted nothing more than cheap and clean accommodation, so we opted for a ‘bums on beds’ and ‘cheap and cheerful’ policy, which worked perfectly for that time.

Over the next three years we used the money we had made from this B&B venture to renovate and improve the property and re-landscape the surrounding gardens. We also built a new house in the grounds, once again doing all the work within the family; which meant that Gill was single-handedly running the B&B in its entirety, as well as running her own catering company and bringing up our young daughter Georgie. I was also running my own building company to help with cash flow, alongside the entire renovation process. It was a long and hard process, but one that we found to be extremely rewarding in the long run.

When the toll road was completed, the business we had prepared ourselves for suddenly ceased, almost completely. After six months of being pretty much empty, we decided to take the next step and once again transform ourselves to suit the market we believed was there for our taking.

We divided the annexe section into ten bedrooms, all en-suite and improved the restaurant facilities, taking it from a bed and breakfast to a 2 star hotel in the space of three months. Fortunately our changes were well received and we gained the new customer base we had been aiming for. This process was aided by our website, and then later by review sites, in particular Trip Advisor, both of which enabled us to gain valuable feedback from our guests and gave potential guests honest insights into our family investment and the facilities and services we provided.

Steve and his team including Paul and Matt have recently completed the latest part in our journey in completing the new Annexe.