The George Wright Boutique Hotel brought to market for £1m

The George Wright Boutique Hotel in Rotherham town centre, South Yorkshire, has been brought to market with an asking price of £75k for the business or £1m for the Grade II-listed property. The five-year-old hotel, which closed in February, has a restaurant and wedding venue, which has a diary full of bookings including five weddings. In 2017, Mark and Ruth McGrail bought and renovated the building, developing it as a boutique seven-bedroom hotel, bar and restaurant, which generated a turnover of £800k in its first year of trading. The George Wright’s ensuite bedrooms include two wedding suites, as well as a function room for 150 people with open terraces and gardens, and an 80-seat restaurant. Built in the 17th-Century, the ‘Tudor revival’ style building was home to stove and fireplace maker George Wright and Co in the 1800s. It was used as a pub and restaurant in the mid-1990s before being badly damaged in a fire. Mark McGrail said: “We are looking for experienced hospitality or leisure professionals to lease or buy the business. We took the difficult decision to close the business last month but the property is still fully furnished and equipped, ready to restart operations and fulfil the demand for forward bookings, which continue to be strong. “In fact, there have already been enquiries for weddings and events to the tune of £40k in potential revenue this year. This is a fantastic opportunity for enterprising and ambitious new operators.” He added: “Ruth and I opened the George Wright Boutique Hotel in 2018 and ran it ourselves for the first 12 months before leasing it to tenants. Unfortunately, the business was then mismanaged by our tenants and we are now keen to rebuild the business and protect this important and special building for Rotherham.” Mark Czajka, director at Ernest Wilson, a commercial property estate agent who is handling the sale, said: “This is a rare opportunity to purchase a business with plenty of forward bookings for events already in the diary. The hotel is in outstanding condition and our client is eager to lease it to capable operators who can reinstate the business without delay. “This is a fantastic opportunity housed in a unique and historic property at the heart of Rotherham, and needless to say we have already had a great deal of interest from prospective buyers.”