Luxury Lancashire hotel has been sold

Northcote has been bought for an undisclosed amount by London-based Britannia Hospitality which owns the £77m Stafford Hotel in London.

Bosses at four star Northcote, off the A59 near Langho, stressed that key staff would remain following the deal.

Northcote managing director Craig Bancroft who ill be staying along with general manager Craig Jackson and executive chef Lisa Goodwin-Allen, said: “We want to make sure that everyone understands we are all staying and we’re very much looking forward to working alongside The Stafford management team and developing Northcote further.

“It was the right partner in terms of the synergy between a truly iconic London property to be paired up with a country house hotel that has got such a fabulous backstory.

“A hotel like the Stafford to take on Northcote is quite an amazing story.

“We are extremely excited about the future of Northcote and the opportunities now ahead, not only the new developments but also opens up opportunities for the staff to broaden their knowledge and training in hospitality.

“Its great news and exciting times for all of us.”

The luxury hotel has 26 rooms while the restaurant, originally set up by celebrity chef Nigel Haworth who stepped down from Northcote in 2017 but remains as an ambassador, has held a Michelin Star for 20 years.

A spokesman for Britannia Hospitality said: “We look forward to working with the team at Northcote to continue to drive the performance of the hotel and deliver the exceptional experiences for which the hotel is known.”

The Northcote group’s four Ribble Valley Inns were sold to Brunning and Price in May last year.