Rockliffe Hall to get £200,000 refurbishment

Luxury hotel Rockliffe Hall, County Durham, is to undergo a £200,000 revamp in January.

The property reopened in 2009 following a £65m renovation project to transform the run-down building, which dates back to the 19th century, into a five-star leisure resort with three restaurants, a golf course and a spa.

The new investment comes as the business looks to maintain growth and will see extra capacity added at the hotel's flagship restaurant, Kenny Atkinson at the Orangery, with the potential for new job creation in the coming months.

There will be new artwork, decor, furniture and lighting at the three-AA-Rosette restaurant, as well as a new state-of-the-art walk-in wine cellar and a restructure and extension of the kitchens to increase production capabilities throughout the day.

Following the refurbishment project, the Orangery will extend its opening hours to include lunchtimes, with capacity increasing to around 80 covers.

Managing director Nick Holmes said: "This is a substantial investment which is creating new options for our guests, new jobs for people in the region and new opportunities for us as a consistently growing business.

Kenny Atkinson, director of food at Rockliffe Hall, said: "The relaunch of the Old Hall is a significant development especially as our kitchens are being extended and reorganised so that we can offer guests more choice at various times of the day.

"The emphasis will continue to be on authenticity as we become more and more self-sufficient. The greater kitchen space means we can train more chefs in traditional skills - such as butchery, for example - and also give guests the chance to meet our team.

"People are so much more interested in the theatre behind food these days and we want to be able to give them the chance to see behind the scenes at special events where we can reveal the faces behind the food and wine. It really is a very exciting time for Rockliffe Hall and to see the business growing even further is great news for the region as a whole."

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By Janie Manzoori-Stamford

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