Successful first year proclaimed by The Knaresborough Inn
6th September 2024
A reinvention of a venerable Knaresborough institution has proved a resounding success over the last 12 months as The Knaresborough Inn celebrates its first year back from refurbishment.
Proclaimed open by town crier Mark Hunter, the new-look venue was born out of a multi-million-pound project to transform the old Dower House Hotel & Spa and has been delighting guests since.
With a “fabulous” grading on Booking.com and three-quarters of reviews on TripAdvisor rating it as either “excellent” or “very good” the now 56-bedroom property has once again proved a big hit with visitors to Knaresborough.
The inn has welcomed some 28,000 sleepers since reopening its doors, providing a welcome boost to the number of bedrooms available for overnight stays within the town.
The decision to adopt an inn model of hospitality that places equal importance on the service of food and drink though has proved a wise one, with 56% of The Knaresborough Inn’s business coming from its F&B trade.
Fish and Chips has been the most popular dish with more than 3,000 portions sold, with freshly made pies following close behind with over 2,500 plates served.
For those stopping by to whet their whistles, Madri has proved to be the drink of choice, with a whopping 17,400 pints of Madri served, with Staropramen, Guinness and an ever refreshing glass of Pepsi Max following suit.
Unsurprisingly, Bed Race Saturday proved to be the Inn’s busiest of the year, as people opted to make use of the enhanced outdoor seating and terraces to enjoy the atmosphere and action.
The inn has also been making a big difference to its local community with £10,000 donated to local causes.
A £5,000 donation to Henshaw’s Art & Crafts Centre allowed groundworks to be carried out for the installation of a new Shepherd’s Hut space, whilst further donations have helped support Knaresborough Celtics and Andy’s Man Club.
Attention now turns to developing the business even further, with a full capacity of Christmas Staycations a particular target, having been agonisingly close to achieving this during year one.
Reflecting on his site’s first year, general manager Ian Durrant said: “We’ve had a fantastic first year as The Knaresborough Inn and have seen a nice switch from being very much a hotel, to an inn where everyone is made to feel welcome.
“The idea is that whether you’re coming for an overnight stay or for food or even just for a drink after work or whilst you’re out and about in town, you’ll fit right in and we’re seeing that in how the split of the business has evolved.
“Some of our busiest days have been when the local market has been our main customer like Bed Race and New Years Eve and its great to be building up that base of locals as well as our fabulous visitors.
“We want to be somewhere locals enjoy as much as the next guest and we’re making sure we are a part of the community with our support of things like Henshaw’s, The Celtics and Andy’s Man Club.
“It has been a hugely successful year and I’m immensely proud of the team at the inn who have worked incredibly hard to make that happen and I’m looking forward to what we can achieve going forward.”