Famous hotel could be open before rugby cup

The George Hotel in Huddersfield closed in January and earlier this week was bought by a development company headed by dentist Dr Altaf Hussain, 37, of Halifax.

The hotel is famous as the birthplace of rugby league and Dr Hussain, director of Northpoint Living Developments, wants it to reopen before Yorkshire grounds host world cup games.

The John Smith’s Stadium, Huddersfield, and The Shay in Halifax are among grounds hosting matches.

Dr Altaf said the initial aim was to refurbish between 30 and 40 rooms of the 60-bedroom hotel and carry out repairs to the roof to prevent water coming in.

He wants to refurbish the ballroom and market the venue for weddings. He has mentioned a figure of £2m to cover renovation and repair costs but wants to explore the possibility of applying for heritage grants to cover some of the external work.

Dr Altaf, whose company specialises in student accommodation, has ruled out converting any part of the George Hotel for student use.

Ultimately he would like the hotel to achieve a four-star rating and for rugby league memorabilia, formerly housed in the hotel, to return.

He added: “I am mindful of the rugby world cup. The aim is to open the hotel before that.”