Horses help pull in interest for firm’s new inns business

The famous heavy horses were at the Thorpe Park Hotel in Leeds, yesterday as part of a nationwide tour of the Shire Hotel group.

Managing director Antony Spencer said: “Everybody loves the horses and the horses love to get dressed in their finery and meet people. It’s also the perfect opportunity for us to introduce our new Thwaites ‘Inns of Character’ to a wider audience and let the people of Leeds find out more about us.”

The company currently has six inns in this division of the business.

Managers say they are looking to expand and West Yorkshire is a key target for acquisitions.

The Lancashire-based company is already recruiting chef patrons and managers who want to run their own businesses without taking on the risks of full ownership.

These inns will be supervised by Shire Hotels and initially located within an hour of one of the company’s existing four-star properties so local teams can provide support.

The Thwaites shire horses will visit other hotels in the group as part of their summer tour, travelling to places such as Knutsford in Cheshire, Bristol and Fareham in Hampshire.