The Kyte Hotel in Darrington, formerly known as the Chestnut House, has undergone a major refurbishment and will be opening its doors to the public for the first time on 10 November. The hotel on Great North Road, in Darrington, West Yorkshire, has 15 bedrooms, a restaurant, tea rooms, meeting rooms, conference and wedding facilities. It is now owned by Jessica Barnes (30) and Sharon Stubbs (39) who have both recently given up full time jobs to pursue their dream of running their own hotel business.
Kyte Hotel aims to be an affordable and high quality proposition, with an experienced head chef being lined up from a four star hotel. He will be paying close attention to creating excellent quality home cooked food; by popular request, the famous carvery will return to Kyte Hotel so that the locals can enjoy their the great British roast once again. The opening of the hotel will bring the equivalent of 20 full times jobs to the area. Jessica and Sharon want to ensure good staff retention and are happy to be able to offer good rates of pay in addition to offering training and development programmes for the right candidates.
Jessica Barnes is originally from Sheffield and now living in Rotherham.
She says: "I am really excited about this new venture. When we made the decision to buy the hotel it became clear that it had been an important place for the local community and for people en route passing by on the busy A1. The hotel had gained a really good reputation in the past, especially for great carverys. The previous management had sadly let standards slip and it was forced to close 18 months ago. We have therefore made some major improvements to the layout and design of the hotel, renamed it and it’s going to be a totally fresh start for Kyte Hotel. We promise a warm welcome and attention to detail when it comes to standards of service, food and accommodation."
Jessica has given up her full time position as a Southern UK Sales Manager with Westfield Health to become co-partner with Sharon Stubbs from York. Sharon has also recently given up her full time position as a Payroll Manager with a major food company, to become a hotelier for the first time. Sharon’s firm was a client of Westfield Health and that is how the partnership evolved.
Sharon said: "It’s funny that Jessica and I had only met a few times before deciding to buy the hotel together. It was soon clear that we would work well together and that we had the same aspirations for a business venture. We got the keys a few weeks ago and we are delighted that everything is on schedule with the opening."
Jessica added: "Quite a few of our friends have suggested that it takes a great leap of faith to give up good secure jobs in the middle of difficult economic times. This may be true in some respects but I think with our complimentary skills and our shared passion about creating a great experience for our customers - that leap of faith will hopefully be justified."
Kyte Hotel is now taking bookings - For further information on the Kyte Hotel and for all booking enquiries please call 01977 600661 or contact Jessica Barnes on 07795 818795.
