‘Business as usual’ for stricken hotel group

The administrators of stricken East Midlands hotel group Abbott Grange have moved to reassure its customers that it is very much “business as usual” at each venue.

Yesterday (Febraury 22) we exclusively broke the news that Abbott Grange, which owns 15-bedroom Bridge Hotel in Thrapston, and the Grade II listed Dovecliff Hall in Stretton, near Burton upon Trent, had called in administrators from Duff & Phelps to run the pair of hotels.

Matthew Ingram and Sarah Bell, of Duff & Phelps, say that both Dovecliff Hall and The Bridge Hotel continue to trade normally, and that they will continue to do so until a sale can be completed. Employees have been notified of the joint administrators’ appointment and advised that it is business as normal until a buyer can be found.

Ingram said: “We are continuing to operate the hotels whilst we enter into discussions with potential purchasers. I can reassure customers that they should notice little impact as a result of our appointment.

“We are aware that a number of people have weddings and other celebrations booked in advance at the venues and have been in touch with those parties to assure them of the commitment to honour bookings that have been made and to advise them of our contact details should they have any concerns.

“These are established venues and present an excellent opportunity for an ambitious and visionary operator. I am optimistic that we will have positive developments to report in the near future.”

Dovecliff Hall, in particular, has an illustrious past. In the 19th Century is was owned by Lord Bass who made many contributions to Burton including the Ferry Bridge. He was a good friend of King Edward VII and the King visited the Bass brewery and the family on their estate at Rangemore in 1902, beginning the brewing of the now famous King’s Ale.

The Bridge Hotel is a hotel, restaurant and wedding venue located in the market town of Thrapston in North West Northamptonshire.

In its latest accounts to 31 December 2015, Abbot Grange owed creditors £684,167.