‘Ay up love, how are you? Welcome to Grantley Hall,’ is the Yorkshire welcome guests are greeted with at the poshest hotel in God’s own county.
Barnsley-born Valeria Sykes purchased the 17th century manor house in Ripon back in 2015 and after a £100million renovation the elegant hotel opened its doors in 2019.
‘I want to put Yorkshire on the map,’ the owner says on Channel 5’s new four-part series, Yorkshire’s Poshest Hotel: Grantley Hall, which starts tonight at 8pm.
Built in 1680, the impressive five-star establishment boasts 47 rooms – each of which have 10 personal staff dedicated to them.
Attention to detail is key to providing such a luxurious and bespoke service, and general manager Nuno Cesar de Sa makes sure even the tiniest of flaws are fixed before a guest sees them.
‘A hotel is where dreams are made, a hotel is where experiences are shared, a hotel is where memories are created,’ says the perfectionist hotelier.
Part of the experience at Grantley Hall is being able to browse the pillow menu, ensuring that even where the guest rests their head is tailored exactly to their needs.
Rooms are typically priced between £1,000 to £3,000 a night and one of the hotel’s most luxurious accommodation options is The Royal Suite.
It’s the establishment’s most sought-after room – kitted out with elegant cream furnishings, tall windows and draped curtains.
The suite, which has a ‘showstopping mezzanine level bedroom’, is located in what used to be the hall’s chapel and boasts views of the formal gardens.
‘It’s very frequent that people enter this room and they cry when they get in because they can’t believe how beautiful it is,’ Nuno reveals.
‘This could be a room for a King or a Queen, love it, love it, love it,’ he gushes.
Each room is lovingly curated with the best furnishings, and guests receive a bespoke service with staff keeping a log of their likes and dislikes to ensure they get everything right.
‘We have been known to go out in our Bentley to collect prawn cocktail crisps for our guests’ reveals guest experience manager Kate Baker.
The bed linen is made from the finest Egyptian cotton and every room is decorated to perfection.
Yorkshire charm is part of the exquisite service too, and as porter Henry Harrison puts it ‘everybody’s your friend in Yorkshire’.
‘We’re going to give you that Yorkshire welcome, why would we not?’ he says.
‘They use words that are very Yorkshire words and I love it, if you have somebody welcomed by a member of staff and they go “ay up love”,’ Nonu adds.
Making sure the guests feel welcome is important to managing director Richard Sykes too, who says ‘You leave as a friend, you don’t just leave as a customer’.
In the episode, the hotel checks an American A-lister in to the Studley Suite – and the staff members eagerly prepare for their arrival.
Shannon Jackson, senior sous chef, is seen making a ‘very special, VIP photo frame for a very special VIP guest’.
‘We only use the finest ingredients, the best in the world,’ the talented chef explains, showing sheets of edible gold.
The stately home hasn’t always been so impressive however.
When Valeria first purchased it, she spent a whopping £100,000 and four years bringing it up to scratch.
Valeria was married to multi-millionaire Brexit donor Paul Sykes – one of Britain’s richest self-made men. They divorced in 2012 after 44 years of marriage.
‘I’ve had a fantastic life, but I’ve had a lot of sadness as well. I got divorced, that’s why I could put all the money to this,’ she explains.
Valeria discovered the property in dilapidated condition and bought it for £6 million in 2015 before overseeing the mammoth restoration.
She enlisted help from her son Richard, as well as her three grandchildren, Tom, Will and Emily.
Reflecting on the renovations on the show, Richard explains, ‘Once we started looking around the grounds, it was really sad to see how it had been allowed to fall into so much disrepair.’
From leaking and suspended ceilings to a seriously damaged main hall, he describes the work as ‘a proper challenge’.
In the end, Grantley Hall was kitted out with an entirely new wing, a spa and a plant room, returning it to its former glory that guests can enjoy today.
Yorkshire’s Poshest Hotel: Grantley Hall airs on Channel 5 tonight, March 26, at 8pm.
