Rendezvous hotel to launch ‘Eco Swan' restaurant boat

The Rendezvous hotel in Skipton is to launch a £300,000 electric-powered restaurant boat on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal.

The Eco Swan, which is due to enter service this summer and will be moored on the canal alongside the hotel, will be 18m in length and seat up to 60.

Designed to be both a restaurant and a function space, food will be cooked in the hotel kitchens and brought aboard to be prepared in a purpose-built galley area at the rear of the boat.

The 20kw motor will be powered by a bank of sealed, rechargeable batteries and the cabin crew and bar staff will be made up of hotel staff, accredited by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

Owner of the Rendezvous hotel, Malcolm Weaving, said: "In 2018 we introduced a new dinner cruise option for our groups and other guests using a boat from a local trip boat owner. This proved extremely popular… However, I was keen to have a boat of my own that we could use both as a restaurant and for functions.

"Because we've been developing the hotel's eco-friendly credentials, including the introduction of a biomass heating system and electric car-charging points, I wanted the new boat to be fully electric, hence the name ‘Eco Swan'… Not only will it offer a peaceful way to see more of the wonderful scenery in this part of Yorkshire but it will also provide an additional function space for the many groups who choose to stay with us during the year."