Rutland Arms hotel on Hotel Inspector

This week’s show sees Alex turn her attention to the Rutland Arms Hotel in Bakewell, Derbyshire. Set on the edge of the Peak District, the hotel enjoys high occupancy rates during the summer months, but poor organisation, bad reviews and an absence of visitors in the winter have pushed 68-year-old owner David to the brink of financial ruin.

David, a former solicitor, bought the 17th-century Rutland Arms Hotel in Bakewell 12 years ago, hoping to retire on the profits. However, the reality of the situation has proved very different to David’s dream. Despite good occupancy rates during the summer, the establishment is losing some £50,000 a year thanks to an absence of visitors during winter. A lack of organisation and structure means that David spends his days cleaning, running the bar and tending to his precious collection of antique clocks. “I’m a first-class bog cleaner,” says David. Having lost nearly £750,000 in his time in charge of the place, David is fast running out of money – and patience –with the Rutland.

As the Hotel Inspector visits the place for the first time, she is pleased with the frontage. “It looks wonderful from the outside,” she says. “You can’t see any of the problems that may lurk within.”  Alex’s large, clean room is equally impressive. However, as she tours the hotel, Alex discovers that the level of housekeeping is inconsistent. Other rooms have not been cleaned, the reception area is messy and full of disparate objects and the signage is shoddy and confusing. On the plus side, the breakfast is good, though the service is somewhat lacklustre.

Rutland Arms hotel Bakewell