Yorebridge House sold to DWC Hotels for £3.8m

Yorebridge House, a destination hotel, restaurant and bar in Wensleydale, has been sold to DWC Hotels off an asking price of £3.8m.Yorebridge House features 12 individually designed ensuite bedrooms, offering views of the surrounding countryside. The hotel is also home to The Orangery restaurant, a bar with fireplace, a “versatile” function room which regularly hosts events and celebrations, and the Laurent Perrier wine-tasting room. There are also a further two rooms licensed for marriage and civil partnership ceremonies. The stone building is Grade II listed and set within six acres of private grounds, situated next to the River Ure yet within easy reach of the nearby market towns of Hawes and Leyburn. The hotel is a multi-award winning five-star venue, receiving accolades such as Visit England’s ‘Small Hotel Of The Year - England’ award in 2016 and 2018, the AA ‘Five Gold Star’ award, several Traveller’s Choice awards for ‘Luxury’ and ‘Romance’ hotels, and ranking ninth in 2022 and 24th in 2024 in the Boutique Hotel Awards for ‘Best Hotel In The UK’, coming first for customer service. The hotel has also featured in Trip Advisor’s ‘Best of the Best’ awards, rated in the top 1% of listings worldwide, and ranked as the top hotel in Yorkshire. The business has retained 3 AA Rosettes since 2014. The hotel has been owned by David and Charlotte Reilly for 19 years. They said: “We have thoroughly enjoyed our years owning Yorebridge House and we are delighted to be handing over the reins to David and his team, who we know will nurture this fantastic business and its wonderful team of staff and continue to improve and develop it for a very exciting future.” DWC Hotels director David Whitehead said: “We are super excited about taking Yorebridge House on to its next chapter, with the development of a mini spa and barn conversion to add more accommodation. This is a unique venue and we are privileged to have been able to secure it and move forward in our business goals for the company.” Jennifer Boynton, associate at Hay and Kilner, who provided legal advice to DWC Hotels added: “It's been a pleasure to advise and work with DWC Hotels on their acquisition of Yorebridge House. This purchase demonstrates that the leisure and hospitality industry remains buoyant and the demand for businesses in the sector continues. We wish them well with their new venture operating this iconic, boutique Dales hotel, which will be a great acquisition to their already successful portfolio.” David Lee, regional director – Hotels at Christie and Co who managed the sale, concluded: “I have known Dave and Charlotte Reilly for a number of years and we all worked closely together to firstly agree an exit strategy, and then during the process of selling the hotel to maximise interest but limit disruption to the day-to-day running of the business. “We were pleased to conclude the sale of Yorebridge House to David Whitehead. Yorebridge House is one of the finest examples of a boutique hotel in the country and it was a privilege to be involved in the sale. I would like to thank Dave and Charlotte for the opportunity and would like to wish David every success in the new venture and his expansion plans.”