Latest addition to the Pig litter to open in Devon
The fifth member of the Pig litter of hotels is set to launch near Honiton, Devon, in early summer 2016 following the transformation of the 20-bedroom Combe House hotel.
Subject to obtaining planning permission, Home Grown Hotels, headed by Robin Hutson, aims to expand the Grade I-listed Elizabethan manor house to around 33 bedrooms by converting the stable yard and other under-used buildings.
Like its sister hotels in the New Forest (Brockenhurst); near Bath; Studland, Dorset; and Southampton - all which enjoy occupancies close to 100% - the Pig at Combe will feature a restaurant that will supplied by its own extensive kitchen garden or from within a 25-mile radius of the property.
Combe House has been run by Ken and Ruth Hunt on a lease from the 3,500-acre Combe Estate since 1998. They will continue to run the hotel until the autumn when they plan to return to Australia to spend time with family and explore new ventures.
The Hunts said that although they were "very sad" to leave Combe, which was awarded a Cesar award by the Good Hotel Guide 2007, they were thrilled to be handing it over to the Home Grown Hotels team. "They are great operators and have the vision to take Combe onto the next phase. We have always admired their unique style of hotels and feel sure Combe House Devon will be in very safe hands."
Hutson, chief executive of Home Grown Hotels, described the setting of Combe House, one mile west of Honiton and 15 miles from Exeter, as "beautiful".
"It will sit well within the footprint our other locations. Ken and Ruth have done a terrific job with the hotel and restaurant to date and now it's our turn to have a go!
"Demand has been very high for the existing properties and our guests want more Pigs, in more locations, so we are thrilled to be adding a very special place in such a wonderful location."
The transformation by Judy Hutson of Combe House will incorporate the organic "piggy style" which has so successfully captured the imagination of guests since the first Pig, near Brockenhurst, Hampshire, was launched in 2011. Her work will include the creation of spacious rafter bedrooms from the loft in the main house, the enhancement of the original Georgian kitchen with a working range, and the conversion of a 600 year-old thatched Devon longhouse.
The Pig in the New Forest has expanded with three lodges in the grounds. Featuring rustic wood floors and log fires, they include the Pig Lodge and Pig House, which cost from £345 and the Forest Cabin from £250, per night midweek.
Business profile: The Pig hotels >>
Robin Hutson's latest project, the Pig >>
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