Cumbria’s Crooklands Hotel gains new owners

Crooklands Hotel in Cumbria has been bought by two local businessmen for an undisclosed fee.

Chris and Rob Vincent secured ownership of the 2.2-acre property after its previous owners, the Horrax family, decided to retire.

Fit with 31-bedrooms, a restaurant and bar, a 120-capacity car park and an adjoining five-bedroom manager’s house, the three-star hotel has been bought to preserve its “family-friendly atmosphere”.

Rob Vincent, owner of Crooklands, said: “We’d been looking for new business opportunities since selling the service station last year. We decided it was a place we wanted to invest in as we know the area really well, having lived here for the past 30 years.

“We like the fact that we’ve bought another family business, and our plan is to keep the hotel’s family-friendly atmosphere and family values.”

The hotel, which is located just south of Kendal between the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales, represents a long-term investment for the Vincents.

Neil Thomson, associate director at Colliers International, who negotiated the sale, said: “The sale of Crooklands Hotel demonstrates that buyers are taking a longer term view of their investments by entering into what has always been a robust trading sector.”

This is the first venture into the leisure industry for the Vincents, who had previously owned the Mossdale Services at Carnforth.