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Business Breakfast: Harrogate shoe firm celebrates 30 years

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Daniel Footwear, a Harrogate-based independent footwear business that was the first in the world to sell Jimmy Choo shoes, is celebrating 30 years’ trading this month.

The company was founded in Leeds by Daniel Buck, and now employs about 50 people at eight shops across the North and in north London, including in its flagship store on Parliament Street in Harrogate.

Mr Buck said:

“In 1993, the Daniel brand was born, with the distinctive Daniel logo adorning the footbed of every pair of shoes. By 1995, sitting alongside the Daniel brand were the likes of Gucci and Prada, and we became the first supplier of Jimmy Choo worldwide.

“Over the past three remarkable decades filled with ups and downs, I have had the privilege of collaborating with exceptional European suppliers and travelling the world to source the finest fashion offerings.

“I am fortunate to work alongside the most exceptional individuals within our company, all working together to make the next 30 years just as fantastic as the last.”

To commemorate its 30th anniversary, Daniel Footwear is offering discounts of up to 30% throughout November in all its stores.

In addition to the Harrogate shop, Daniel has branches in Leeds, Beverly near Hull, Alderley Edge in Cheshire, and four in north London, in Mill Hill, Muswell Hill, Stanmore and Hampstead Garden Suburb.

Local hotels part of Which? recommended group

The Inn Collection Group, which owns and runs the Harrogate Inn, the Ripon Inn and the Knaresborough Inn, has made it onto a list of the UK’s best hotel chains.

The pubs-with-rooms operator is now rated as a Recommended provider by Which?, following a survey of 5,000 people who rated their experiences at 37 hotel chains across the UK.

Revealing its list of the best and worst hotel chains of 2023, Which? said The Inn Collection Group offered inns that were “cheaper, better and with more character” than other leading operators, citing warm welcomes, posh pub grub and a decent beer selection as key features.

The Newcastle-based group was placed third in the small operator listings, with a customer score of 78%, which combines overall satisfaction and likeliness to recommend. The highest-rated operator earned an 80% mark.

Kate Bentley, rooms director at The Inn Collection Group said:

“When you look at the scores across the areas measured by the survey, ours are in line or better than the benchmarks set by some of the biggest operators in our industry, so it is a massive endorsement of the hard work our site teams are putting into looking after our guests.”

The Inn Collection Group has 32 sites across the north, 26 of them trading and six undergoing refurbishment.

The group bought the historic Hotel St George, opposite the Royal Hall, in Harrogate in February 2022 and reopened it as the Harrogate Inn this summer. It bought the 15th-century Dower House in Knaresborough in December 2021 and reopened it as the Knaresborough Inn in September; and it bought the Spa Hotel in Ripon in June 2021 and reopened it as the Ripon Inn two weeks ago.

Sneak Peek: The Knaresborough Inn boosts town’s flourishing hospitality appeal

Knaresborough’s hospitality offering is undergoing something of a renaissance.

Last week 1858 bar and restaurant opened in the former NatWest bank on High Street.

On Monday, the historic Dower House will reopen as The Knaresborough Inn under new ownership.

Both venues have undergone major refurbishments to offer something more ambitious than the average hospitality business.

The new bar.

The Inn Collection Group, which bought The Knaresborough Inn along with the former George Hotel in Harrogate and the Ripon Spa Hotel, markets its venues as ‘inns with rooms’ rather than hotels.

Its business model therefore focuses as much on attracting local people for food and drink as it does on providing three-star accommodation for tourists.

The Knaresborough venue, which closed last summer, held a VIP preview day today.

It no longer has a spa and gym but the number of rooms has increased from 38 to 56. The inn will serve food seven days a week from morning to night and the outdoor area has been upgraded with more seating.

The outdoor area can seat 100 guests.

A spokesman said:

“The idea is that this is as much a place for locals as it is visitors.

“If you want cake and coffee in the afternoon, a breakfast before work, a quick lunch or a night out for a treat, we will cater for you.”

The Knaresborough Inn employs 47 staff and can seat 125 customers inside and 100 outside.

Operations manager Paul Brown (left) and general manager Ian Durrant toast the inn today.

A new portico entrance has been built on the Grade II-listed 15th century building.

General manager Ian Durrant said:

“This has been a year in the making and it’s wonderful for Knaresborough.

“I’m really excited because it’s a beautiful reincarnation of a well known venue.”

Guests at today’s VIP preview opening.

The Inn Collection Group, which is based in Newcastle, has 33 venues in northern England and north Wales, including eight in Yorkshire.

The Ripon Spa Hotel is due to reopen as the Ripon Inn in October. A precise date has not been revealed but it is expected to be in the second half of the month.

The Harrogate Inn, formerly the St George Hotel, reopened on July 3 after a 152-day refurbishment.

The former Dower House has a new name and look.

One of the rooms in what used to be the spa.

Knaresborough’s Dower House to reopen in 12 days

The Dower House in Knaresborough will open with a new name and a completely fresh look on September 4.

The venue has undergone a major refurbishment since it closed last summer.

The Inn Collection Group, which has bought the venue along with other historic hotels in Ripon and Harrogate, has renamed it the Knaresborough Inn.

The Newcastle-based owners have 32 venues in northern England and north Wales, which are marketed as ‘inns with rooms’ rather than hotels.

The Knaresborough venue will therefore no longer have a spa and gym but it does have an extra nine bedrooms and will focus more on food and drink for local people.

A new portico entrance has been built on the Grade II-listed 15th century building.

New signs have gone up.

Meanwhile. the Ripon Spa Hotel is due to reopen as the Ripon Inn in October. A precise date has not been revealed.

The Harrogate Inn, formerly the St George Hotel, reopened on July 3 after a 152-day refurbishment.

Dates set for reopening historic hotels in Knaresborough and Ripon

An historic Knaresborough hotel will reopen next month after a refurbishment and renaming by its new owners.

The Knaresborough Inn – previously known as the Dower House – is set for an official opening on August 31.

It follows the closure of the hotel last summer, with a contractor appointed for the work at the end of the year.

Visitors to the refurbished facility will find its spa and gym have been replaced by an additional nine bedrooms.

A new portico entrance has been built on the Grade II-listed 15th century building, with an accessible ramp to the entrance and repairs to its roof and brickwork.

News of a reopening date follows the company’s unveiling of The Harrogate Inn, formerly the St George Hotel, on July 3 after a 152-day refurbishment.

Chris Moor, operations director for The Inn Collection Group, said:

“We’re excited that The Harrogate Inn has been received so positively since reopening and we are looking forward to unveiling The Knaresborough Inn as our second North Yorkshire site to complete refurbishment in a few weeks.

“Creating a new-look for a much-loved venue has been a painstaking process as has the renovation programme, making sure we take great care of what in parts dates back to the 15th century but we are confident that we have done what we set out to achieve.

“The inn will breathe new life into the venue and retain it as a resource and vital hub for the local community as much as guests coming to stay.

“We will be announcing plans for our reopening celebrations very shortly and I look forward to seeing the doors back open before the end of the summer.”

Meanwhile, The Ripon Inn, which used to be the Spa Hotel, is now set to welcome guests from October 2.

Its opening has been delayed from an initial expectation of spring this year, later updated to August, and now put back a further two months.

All three hotels were bought by the Inn Collection Group over the last two years. Based in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, the company owns 32 hotels across northern England and north Wales.

Historic Harrogate hotel reopens after 152-day transformation

The former St George Hotel in Harrogate reopened yesterday after a 152-day transformation.

The hotel has new owners, a new name and a completely refurbished look and feel, which it is hoped will attract local people to eat and drink there.

Now called the Harrogate Inn, it has adopted a country pub feel that is the hallmark of owners the Inn Collection Group.

The Newcastle-based company has added the venue to its portfolio of 32 locations that also includes the Black Swan at Helmsley and the Wordsworth Hotel in the Lake District.

Closer to home, the Inn Collection Group also owns the Ripon Spa Hotel and Dower House in Knaresborough, which are due to reopen under new names the Ripon Inn and the Knaresborough Inn this summer.

The Harrogate Inn

The Harrogate Inn, which closed at the end of January for refurbishment, has a new entrance, a new bar and restaurant, six extra rooms, two new outdoor patio features. Meals are available from 11am to 9pm.

Louise Stewart, property director at the Inn Collection Group, said:

“The works have been extensive with a total refurbishment of the old function rooms and reception area of the old St George Hotel, the creation of the new grand entrance and remedial works to the building’s roof.

“It has delivered a venue which has been warmly received by those we have shown around prior to reopening, and I hope that the inn is going to delight guests going forward.”

The Harrogate Inn project has been managed by Silverstone Building Consultancy and delivered in partnership with 7Formation.

Sneak peek: Transformed Harrogate hotel to re-open on Monday

A new chapter in the history of one of Harrogate’s most famous hotels will begin on Monday when it reopens with a new name and completely fresh look.

The Harrogate Inn, formerly known as the St George Hotel, is one of three major local hotels to have undergone multi-million pound renovations by the Inn Collection Group.

Ripon Spa Hotel and Dower House will re-open shortly under new names the Ripon Inn and the Knaresborough Inn.

The Harrogate Inn has a new main entrance on Crescent Gardens that leads into a bar called the Barking George — a nod to its former name.

Visitors will walk into the Barking George bar.

The adjoining area, which used to serve food to hotel guests, has been transformed into a food and beverage area called Stray Away, which the owners hope will become a destination for local people.

It will serve breakfasts, morning and afternoon teas and coffees, lunches and evening meals in the hope of attracting customers for 18 hours a day. It also has a separate Sunday menu.

Six new ground floor suites have increased the number of rooms from 90 to 96.

One of the new suites.

The outdoor terrace has been redeveloped and the Ripon Road entrance will lead to another smaller bar. The existing rooms have undergone only minor changes.

An Inn Collection Group spokesman said:

“The reason we pitch ourselves as inns rather than hotels is because we make the space work from breakfast to night.

“It’s a new place to come and eat and drink. We want it to become a destination for locals to enjoy as much as hotel guests. Ultimately, that’s what will make us successful rather than just relying on high season visitors.”

Andrew Robson, senior communications and marketing executive and Louise Stewart, property director at the Inn Collection Group outside the Harrogate Inn.

The Newcastle-based Inn Collection Group has 32 venues in northern England, including eight in North Yorkshire.

Henry White, who previously managed the company’s Commissioners Quay in Blyth, has been appointed general manager.

The new name is displayed.

It will be the first of three local Inn Collection Group properties to reopen this summer.

The Knaresborough Inn — formerly the Dower House — is scheduled to reopen on August 20. It will have 57 rooms, compared with 41 previously, largely due to the closure of the spa.

The reopening of the Ripon Inn — formerly Ripon Spa Hotel — was scheduled for August 20 but may not happen until early September. The number of rooms will increase from 41 to 57.

The domed roof remains.

Historic hotels in Harrogate, Ripon and Knaresborough set to re-open

Three historic hotels in Harrogate, Ripon and Knaresborough have announced details of when they plan to reopen.

The St George Hotel in Harrogate, the Spa Hotel in Ripon and the Dower House in Knaresborough are all currently closed.

They have been acquired by the Inn Collection Group, which has 32 venues in northern England, and are undergoing major refurbishments.

They have also been renamed as the Harrogate Inn, the Ripon Inn and the Knaresborough Inn.

An Inn Collection Group spokesman revealed today the Harrogate Inn will reopen on July 3. It will have 96 rooms, six more than previously. The six extra rooms are all ground floor suites.

The former St George Hotel, Harrogate

The Ripon Inn will reopen on August 20 with 58 rooms, compared with 43 previously.

The Knaresborough Inn is expected to be the second of the three venues to re-open. A date has not been set but it is expected to be early August. It will have 57 rooms, compared with 38 previously.

The Harrogate and Ripon inns are both accepting bookings now.

The Dower House has a new name and look

The spokesman said:

“The three sites have have undergone significant refurbishment and investment.

“All three will have new look bar and restaurant areas on reopening, and also have had additional rooms added to their stock.”

As part of the reopening activity, all three sites are running a free dinner promotion for guests.

New names revealed for top hotels in Harrogate and Ripon

The owners of the St George Hotel in Harrogate and the Spa Hotel in Ripon have confirmed the venues will be given new names and branding.

The properties, which are being refurbished, will be renamed The Harrogate Inn and The Ripon Inn.

The Harrogate Inn is due to re-open in early summer with 96 rooms — six more than previously. The Ripon Inn is expected to reopen in midsummer with 58 rooms — 15 more than previously.

The Harrogate Inn

The two hotels have also been given new coats of arms.

The new identities reflect the brand style of owners the Inn Collection Group, a Newcastle-based company that has historic venues across the north.

Inn Collection Group venues serve food and drink all day and are styled as pubs with rooms rather than hotels.

Its other venues include Knaresborough’s Dower House, which has been renamed The Knaresborough Inn.

Zoe Cooper, marketing manager for the Inn Collection Group, said:

“As with the new names we have unveiled for other sites recently, including The Knaresborough Inn, we have looked to embrace the history of the wider area and we hope the new look will create a talking point that serves as a link to the past while the site embarks on an exciting future.

“With both sites we have adopted the name of the locale for the property, which allows us to introduce its setting more easily for potential visitors who may be considering a stay, allowing them to look further into what all these fantastic places have to offer.”

The Ripon Inn

The refurbished guest accommodation at The Ripon Inn will provide a mix of double, twin and family bedrooms, accessible rooms, suites, and dog friendly rooms.

It will have an additional 15 en-suite rooms and the reconfigurated ground floor area will include a new bar and kitchen area.

The Harrogate Inn will see six new bedrooms added on the ground floor and a “complete transformation of the venue’s hospitality spaces”, according to the owners.

Coats of arms

The Ripon Inn, set in six acres of gardens, has been closed to guests since July 2020 for extensive internal and external works.

Its new coat of arms is made up of a shield flanked by a pair of stags, linking to the historical coat of arms of the Earl and Marquess or Ripon.

The left half of the shield contains a representation of the Ripon horn in recognition of the history of the city’s wakemen and hornblowers.

Sitting on a red background — a colour scheme and motif that appear in the city’s coat of arms – this is combined with a yellow chevron which is again informed by the Earl and Marquess of Ripon’s heraldry.

The right-hand side of the shield features a stylised illustration of the grade one listed Ripon Cathedral and its early English gothic west front, dating back to 1220 and regarded as one of the best examples of its type.

The Harrogate Inn closed in January for a 16-week refurbishment.

Its coat of arms sees the left half of the shield contain a red and white asymmetrical crossed pattern taken from the town’s original coat of arms, together with the white rose of Yorkshire.

The right-hand side of the shield features a lion ‘passant’ taken from the borough council’s arms, and this is bounded top and bottom by repeating wavy lines to represent the importance of springs in the town’s history.

Supporting the shield are a pair of griffins taken from the crest of the Slingsby family, who were instrumental in bringing prosperity to the town through Sir William Slingsby and his discovered of the first spring in Harrogate, the Tewitt Well, over three hundred years ago.

Harrogate hotel begins recruiting — three weeks after laying off 76 staff

The St George Hotel in Harrogate is recruiting staff — just three weeks after it closed with the loss of 76 jobs.

The hotel is due to re-open in about 13 weeks as a pub with rooms rather than a traditional hotel. That is the preferred model of The Inn Collection Group, a Newcastle-based company that bought the historic venue in February last year.

The company is now advertising for a general manager on a salary from £45,000 and a head chef on a salary from £42,000.

A spokesman said the venue was still due to re-open in mid-summer. Scaffolding has gone up outside the building.

Asked about the decision to recruit so soon after making redundancies, the spokesman said:

“There were unfortunately delays to our refurbishment programmes as a result of problems within the construction industry and associated supply chain having a knock-on effect.

“This unfortunately meant in some cases we have had to make some redundancies in order to secure the long-term future for the sites.”

The Inn Collection Group also owns the Ripon Spa Hotel, Dower House in Knaresborough and Dean Court in York, among others.

The St George Hotel, which is opposite the Royal Hall on Ripon Road, grew out of the Chequers Inn and was renamed after George III’s gift of the Stray to the people of Harrogate in 1778.

It was enlarged several times during the 19th century and renamed the St George shortly before the First World War.

It was badly damaged by fire in 1927 and requisitioned by the Post Office and Air Ministry during the Second World War before re-opening as a hotel in 1952. It acquired a spa facility in 1985.

76 jobs at risk at Harrogate’s St George Hotel

A total of 76 staff at Harrogate’s St George Hotel face uncertain futures amid plans to close the building for refurbishment.

The Inn Collection Group, which bought the historic hotel a year ago, informed staff last week they were at risk of redundancy on January 30.

It plans to carry out a multi-million pound refurbishment that will transform the interior and increase the number of bedrooms from 90 to 96.

A spokesman for the Inn Collection Group, which also owns the Dower House in Knaresborough and Ripon Spa Hotel, said today:

“We currently have 76 colleagues at risk of redundancy as a result of a proposed closure on January 30, however we have started a consultation process to discuss this, to support our colleagues and seek ways in which to mitigate the need for redundancy.”

The spokesman said the refurbishment would include remedial work to some of the building’s systems and “bring it into the look and feel of The Inn Collection Group”, adding:

“The main focus on refurbishment though is centred around the transformation of the ground floor space, which will be brought into our model of hospitality.

“We are a pub with rooms operator rather than a hotel operator and the refurbishment will evolve the offering at Hotel St George into a space where they are made to feel welcome and are encouraged to join us for coffees, drinks and meals.

“There will also be significant improvements carried out to areas that support this such as the kitchens, allowing us to develop what we offer to our guests and residents of Harrogate and beyond.”

The spokesman said the refurbishment was anticipated to take 16 weeks and was “intended to begin shortly following a consultation period with our teams at the site who will be impacted whilst the refurbishment takes place”.

Asked what will happen to customers who have booked accommodation or weddings, he said:

“Our teams are currently contacting these customers directly to discuss their bookings. These discussions will centre around if they wish to retain their stay or event with us or if they wish to find an alternative venue, which we will work with them to accommodate.”

Dower House and Ripon Spa Hotel set for summer re-openings

The Inn Collection Group has properties across northern England, including Dower House and Ripon Spa Hotel, which are both closed for refurbishment.

The Dower House

Work at Dower House began in September last year. The spokesman said:

“Once complete, the Dower House will have grown from a 38-room establishment to a 57-room venue and as with Hotel St George will have enjoyed a significant renovation of its ground floor spaces to provide a space to be enjoyed by guests both staying with us and those visiting from the local area.

“The fabric of the building is requiring a great deal of care and attention as part of the refurbishment, and we are hopeful that works will be complete later this summer.”

The company has started advertising for a general manager at Ripon Spa Hotel but it is not expected to reopen for several months. The building is still surrounded by scaffolding.

Ripon Spa Hotel

The spokesman said:

“Works have been underway at Ripon Spa since summer last year and again have seen us undertake an extensive programme to maintain and enhance the fabric of the building.

“As at the Dower House, there will be an increase in the number of bedrooms for guest. Up from 43 to 59.

“We are again hopeful of launching the newly renovated venue later this summer.”

Local hotels part of Which? recommended group

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Coats of arms

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Dower House and Ripon Spa Hotel set for summer re-openings