Scarborough’s imposing Royal Hotel falls into administration

The family-run company behind the historic Royal Hotel called in administrators as a result of a soaring tax bill.

English Rose Hotels Scarborough Ltd also owns the Clifton Hotel in the town, which was put up for sale earlier this month.

Both hotels will continue to trade as normal until a new buyer is found, however administrators MCR. would not confirm whether jobs were at risk.

The 118-bedroom Royal Hotel employs 77 full time members of staff and the Clifton has 33 employees.

David Whitehouse, partner at MCR, said: “Both the Clifton and the Royal have strong reputations and high levels of occupancy. There is significant interest in these hotels and we would expect to complete a sale of the hotels as a going concern over the coming weeks.”

As directors of English Rose Hotels Scarborough, the Turner family has owned the Royal Hotel for 12 years. The firm’s sister company English Rose Hotels Yorkshire Ltd, which includes the Wrea Head Hotel, Scalby, and the Green Man Family Inn, Malton, in its portfolio, has not been affected.

The Royal Hotel opened on St Nicholas Street almost 200 years ago and the iconic building has attracted a plethora of famous guests, including one of Britain’s greatest ever Prime Ministers Winston Churchill and movie star Gwyneth Paltrow.

Its grand imposing architecture, including the renowned decadent staircase and atrium, still bears all the hallmarks of the Regency period.

In what has been a turbulent year for businesses in the town, the collapse of the Royal comes after three other major family businesses have been hit by crisis.

Woodhead the Bakers folded after 74 years in the town and printing giant Pindar, which operated in Scarborough for over 175 years, went under in July after reporting losses of £1.4m.