An award-winning, five star hotel is gearing up for a strong tourism season in the Lake District following a funding boost.
The Cranleigh Boutique, situated in Bowness on Windermere, aims to draw tourists to the region with a truly British experience.
The Cumberland Building Society has provided a refinancing deal to The Cranleigh Boutique and its sister venues.
Sister venue the Lake View Garden Bar offers views of Lake Windermere to guests as they enjoy beer steins, specialised gins or cocktails.
The hotel's other venues include The Fizzy Tarte, a champagne and cocktail bar, and Baha for karaoke enthusiasts.
The refinancing consists of consolidating all finances across the venues under the management of Steve Hargreaves.
The funds will be used to expand infrastructure and inspire growth, with the aim of solidifying Cumbria as a must-visit tourist destination.
Mr Hargreaves, who acquired The Cranleigh Boutique in 2007, has since transformed it into a luxury hotel which welcomes thousands of tourists each year.
It won several awards throughout 2023, among them the Hotel and Social Certificate of Excellence and the TripAdvisor Travellers Choice.
Mr Hargreaves plans to develop staff accommodation at the hotel's premises to entice more employees to the hospitality industry and bridge the current employee-gap.
He said: "The whole idea behind The Cranleigh Boutique is that we listened to what customers want and decided to give them that.
"Over the years we’ve seen a change in the way people wind down and we created a venue which accommodates this.
"They want to sit in the sun, listen to music, and enjoy a beer while over-looking the lake, before going to bed to a luxury state-of-the-art room.
“The Cranleigh Boutique’s family hits the right themes and that’s why people keep coming back, and this has a positive impact not just for us, but the other businesses around us.
"It’s great to be a part of supporting the local area by helping to pull visitors in.”
Speaking about working with The Cumberland, Mr Hargreaves added: "I’ve never dealt with a building society as efficient, friendly, and professional.
"I’m looking forward to a long-term, mutual partnership moving forward.
Yasmin Blamire, a senior associate solicitor from Napthens, which collaborated with The Cumberland in the deal, said: "It's great to see Cumbria businesses supporting each other, and it means these two key hospitality venues can be around for a lot longer."
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