Tributes paid following death of North Yorkshire hotelier, John Abel

John Abel, the founder and first managing director of the Harrogate International Hotel which is now the Crowne Plaza, has died this month after a short illness.

The son of a banker, Abel was born in 1941 and attended Culford School in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. He subsequently qualified as a chef from the Birmingham College of Food, followed by a hotel management course.

He started his hotelier career in Norfolk, before moving to Harrogate in 1970 to become the managing director of the Hotel St George.

Following the sale of the hotel, the money was raised for building the then Harrogate International Hotel. Abel as its first managing director oversaw the construction of the hotel, which he delivered on schedule and on budget, with the premises formally opening in January 1985.

He subsequently joined Allott and Associates as a new business manager and is credited with winning many new accounts, plenty of which are still active with the business today.

In the latter years he was retained as an associate and oversaw the advertising department.

Outside work Abel enjoyed fine dining and attending horse racing. His passion for horse racing was caught from his wife Vivien and he was a keen member of York Racecourse for over 45 years.

A spokesman for Allott and Associates said: “Ultimately, John was a people person. He was very passionate about Harrogate and protecting its heritage and where necessary he didn’t hold back from ensuring that those in elected office were aware of his concerns.”

Abel was a church elder at St Paul’s United Reformed Church in Harrogate and together with his wife visited elderly people as far afield as Scarborough, to support them.

He is survived by his wife Vivien who he was married to for 52 years and his younger brother Guy who lives in New Zealand.

Close