A north Cumbrian hotel owner is celebrating a decade in charge with further expansion plans for the venue.
Willowbeck Lodge, based in Scotby, near Carlisle, first opened its doors 20 years ago as a small bed and breakfast and has since been transformed into a fully-renovated modern boutique hotel.
Owner Andrew McGrillis, of Carlisle, took over the business from his parents 10 years ago and is the driving force behind its growth.
Andrew said: “My parents originally opened Willowbeck Lodge as a bed and breakfast in 2004 and me and my wife Sarah bought it and took it over from them in 2014, so we’re the second generation to have it.
“2024 is a bit of a landmark year for us as we’re celebrating 20 years of running this April and I’ve just celebrated 10 years since I took over the business and opened our restaurant, Finis Kitchen.
“We’ve definitely grown in size and popularity in the time we’ve been running it and the business has really expanded quite a bit. But we still have a lot of plans for future growth.”
Refurbishing the venue has been a priority for Andrew who said he felt having a modern, stylish space was key to keeping customers interested.
He added: “We’ve just invested £135,000 into the business through refurbishing the bathrooms, bedrooms and the restaurant.
“With that we’ve got a new look and style in our branding with our menus and wine list, and we’ve added six new bathrooms too.
“We’ve probably spent about half a million in the last 10 years getting it to where it is and I believe it has really helped with our growth.
“I really pride us now as a boutique hotel and I believe for us and the demographic we appeal to there is an expectation that rooms are modern and individually styled.
“Whilst guests like that we are privately run and operated, I want them to enjoy that there isn’t a compromise on quality or facility as well.
“We’ve now also started our second stage of development expanding our food and beverage offering and we’re starting the construction of a bar and lounge area which we hope to have in place by the beginning of next year.”
Growing the hotel in different ways has also remained a top priority for Andrew, who said he is always looking ahead to see what new directions he can move the business in.
He said: “Our milestones have been organic, but every year we’ve undertaken something new, whether that be improvements or updates to the business, especially with our expansion.
“The lodge only had four letting rooms to start with and it now has 10 along with the new bathrooms and renovations, so we’ve come a long way.
“I’m definitely proud of how far we’ve come but I’m not complacent either. I’ve always had a vision for the business and a desire to grow it.
“That desire has potentially grown out of being the second generation of family to run it but also wanting to make my own mark and I’m proud of the impact I’ve had on the business and how much I’ve changed it from where it all started.
“It’s been really important for me to build off those foundations and create my own legacy.”
Sustainability and being a green business is also a future ambition for the hotel, Andrew said.
He added: “In 2022 we took on a major landscaping project which included digging out our pond.
“One of the reasons we did that is Cumbria LEP have been supporting us with a grant in order to be able to capitalise on ground source heat pumps, which is quite exciting for us.
“We’re looking for a greener future, especially rising energy costs so it’s been paramount for us to look into sustainability and cost efficiency.”
While Willowbeck Lodge has continued to move from strength to strength, Andrew said that they’d faced some challenges too.
He said: “There’s always ups and downs in business, and we’ve all had to face things like COVID-19 and we’re still in a challenging market.
“I would say we’re not immune to the impact the cost of living crisis is having on customers.
“I think food and drink and dining out is definitely engrained within our culture now and what we’re finding in our current time is that while people are still coming out, they’re being more selective about what they’re coming out for.
“They’re looking for value and it’s something we all have to be aware of without pigeonholing ourselves to one particular price slot.”
Andrew said that he is also looking to move the hotel into different markets in the future.
He added: “We’re definitely looking to move towards some new horizons and that expansion would increase the space we have and open us up to weddings and functions, things that at the moment we’re slightly restricted by because of our size.
“We’re also looking into more accommodation plans in the future. But the idea of expanding further gives me a great deal of enthusiasm.
“I’ve loved seeing the business grow and change and hopefully my legacy here will be attached to that.”
