Guesthouses: make a lifestyle change and ride the staycation wave

Has there ever been a better time to own a guesthouse in our area?
The Coppice, 9 Studley Road, Harrogate - £600,000 with Hunters, 01423 536222.The Coppice, 9 Studley Road, Harrogate - £600,000 with Hunters, 01423 536222.
The Coppice, 9 Studley Road, Harrogate - £600,000 with Hunters, 01423 536222.

Last year’s heatwave has encouraged more people to take their chances on a UK holiday this year, and the trend for staycations started in the wake of the financial crisis a decade ago looks set to continue, fuelled by the weak pound and wage stagnation.

Also – just in case you’ve been in hiding or in exile and you’ve missed it – the UCI Road World Championships are coming to the district in the autumn.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

This is – it should be stressed – a big deal. For nine days in September, the world’s best cyclists will come to Yorkshire to compete in the pinnacle event of the international road cycling calendar.

Lyndale Guest House, King Street, Pateley Bridge - £450,000 with Dacre, Son & Hartley, 01423 711010.Lyndale Guest House, King Street, Pateley Bridge - £450,000 with Dacre, Son & Hartley, 01423 711010.
Lyndale Guest House, King Street, Pateley Bridge - £450,000 with Dacre, Son & Hartley, 01423 711010.

Races start from towns across the county, including Ripon, Tadcaster and Wetherby, and they will all finish in Harrogate.

Thousands of visitors are expected to descend on the district for its latest turn in the global sporting spotlight.

The whole circus – riders, reporters, sponsors, security, spectators and the rest – are all going to need accommodation.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

There has been talk for months now of pop-up hotels being opened to accommodate the influx. Room rates are likely to spike. In light of all this, those with beds to rent out may well end up laughing all the way to the bank.

Wynnstay House, 60 Franklin Road, Harrogate - £695,000 with Nicholls Tyreman, 01423 503076.Wynnstay House, 60 Franklin Road, Harrogate - £695,000 with Nicholls Tyreman, 01423 503076.
Wynnstay House, 60 Franklin Road, Harrogate - £695,000 with Nicholls Tyreman, 01423 503076.

Whether you’re in it as a long-term career choice or a short-term yellow-jersey jolly, one of the following properties, which are all currently on the market, may be for you.

In Pateley Bridge, Lyndale Guest House was converted from a three-storey family home, and the result appears to have been a runaway success.

It is registered with Welcome to Yorkshire and Deliciouslyorkshire, has a food hygiene rating of 5/5, a Booking.com rating of 9.6 and a Tripadvisor Certificate of Excellence.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

It has six bedrooms of en-suite accommodation plus a residents’ dining room, kitchen, store and parking in a yard area to the rear.

The property is fully furnished and the sale includes appliances, furniture, wardrobes and electrical equipment, plus soft furnishings and the equipment required to run the business.

In Harrogate, The Coppice is located just around the corner from Harrogate Convention Centre and has been awarded four stars by Visit England. It has five en-suite bedrooms and another two bedrooms and a bathroom in the basement. There is also a kitchen, dining room, lounge and laundry room, plus small front garden and back yard.

Finally, just around the corner and a short walk from the town centre, Wynnstay House is the biggest of the three guesthouses, with five en-suite double rooms, two singles and another double, plus separate bathroom, in the basement.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

There’s also a kitchen, sitting room, living room, dining room and laundry room, plus Harrogate in Bloom award-winning front garden and small back yard.

Wynnstay has achieved an AA Gold Star year on year, has an AA Breakfast Award, and has in recent years been awarded a Tripadvisor Certificate of Excellence and been a finalist in the AA Friendliest B&B Awards.