HOSPITALITY
Delivering – Rudby Hall Hotel custodians Mark Booth and Suze Chomo have achieved much during their first eight months at the stunning venue.
In an age of hustle and noise, welcome to a culture of nurture at Rudby Hall Hotel
COMMUNITY & COLLABORATION
The first eight months have passed by in a flash for the new custodians of Rudby Hall. But just as they encourage their guests to do, they are taking a moment to pause and reflect on their new venture which is proving to be a celebration of community and collaboration.
When Mark Booth and Suze Chomo first stepped inside the beautiful Rudby Hall, they fell in love with its fascinating history and its charming features and instantly knew that this would be their new adventure.
Suze recalls even taking a moment to pause, in awe of her surroundings, and lay her hand on the tiled floor in the hallway.
It is a feeling that has been echoed by guests and visitors alike, with five-star reviews describing the couple’ s care and attention to detail and the boutique hotel’ s calming atmosphere.
Although neither have worked in hospitality before – Mark is an academic and Suze is an agile coach – they had a dream of opening their own B & B one day.
A browse through the property websites led Mark to an advert for Rudby Hall – and the rest, as they say, is history!
The hall’ s new custodians have a lot to celebrate since they took over the hotel in January.
Key achievements include:
> Consistently exceptional reviews from guests who have ranged from locals to an American seeking an inspiring space for a writing retreat.
> Two B2B events to meet lifestyle practitioners in preparation of launching their programme of retreats and experiences.
> Becoming a go-to venue for filming social media content and adverts for local business owners. Their biggest cause for celebration is the community they are building through the Friends of Rudby Hall, which they are launching to curate the hall’ s history, to consolidate collaborations with local businesses and to connect with new friends they have made who love the hall as much as they do.
Behind the scenes, they have secured a five-star food hygiene rating, added luxurious touches to the 13 bedrooms, rebranded as Rudby Hall Hotel and have looked after the building as carefully as previous generations.
The hotel’ s new experience stays range from corporate team building to creative retreats.
Guests can benefit from group bookings with exclusive use of the hotel and add-on spa packages or a private dining experience under the willow tree.
Sustainability and using local suppliers is important to the couple’ s vision, so many ingredients and produce are sourced from local suppliers, including nearby farms.
“ We are really astounded by the extent of interest and the range of collaborations and opportunities that have come our way in such a short period,” said Mark.
“ We are proud to have found a place within the local community of Teesside and North Yorkshire and we’ re looking forward to working collaboratively in the coming months and years.
“ We are collaborating with local lifestyle practitioners to launch our range of retreats, developing corporate connections to host business lunches and events and are hosting several women’ s networking groups and charity functions.”
Suze said:“ We are inspired by all the experiences we have had so far and heartened that we are becoming a destination of choice.
“ We are grateful that businesses have shown such positivity and enthusiasm towards collaborating with us to create our“ Pause and...” experience stays, including Pause and Plan and Pause and Create.
“ Our guests love it here and we are so grateful that we are in a position to look after people while they take time away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.”
Find out more about becoming a Friend of Rudby Hall, to have exclusive access to special events at the hall and the hotel’ s experience stays, at rudbyhall. com
The voice of business in the Tees region | 127