Rutland businessman unveils £5 million plan to renovate The Whipper-In hotel in Oakham, inspired by the George Hotel in Stamford

A town hotel is set to undergo a multi-million pound renovation to turn it into the ‘quintessential English country inn’.

Businessman Ryck Turner last year spent more than £3 million on the Whipper-In hotel, and three neighbouring buildings in Oakham Market Place – Rutland Chinese Restaurant, Curtis bakery and the Cancer Research UK shop.

The 54-year-old entrepreneur, from Whissendine, now aims to spend a further £2 million extending, refurbishing and reshaping the inn.

“I drove past the hotel in the spring of 2022, loved the look of it and thought the location was perfect,” he said.

“Within a few weeks I had paid £3 million for the hotel and the three buildings along the row.”

Plans for the 17th Century Grade II listed building includes creating a new restaurant to replace the current dining room, and doubling the size of the kitchen.

The new dining room, facing out onto the Market Place, will have a guests-only cocktail bar and an exclusive private dining room and lounge on the floor above.

Ryck also plans to convert the coach house at the back into a unit with bedrooms, a 15-seater private cinema, a gym and spa.

The new 18-bedroom hotel will be renamed The George Inn, a nod to its former name, The George Hotel, and Ryck’s admiration for its Stamford counterpart.

“When I was a schoolboy at Oundle School I used to go for lazy Sunday lunches with my parents at The George Hotel in Stamford and I thought that was heaven on earth.

“To me that was the quintessential English country inn and that is what I want recreate here in Oakham.

“I saw the Whipper-In and thought: ’This can be my George Hotel’. That is when I set myself the challenge to make that happen.”

Ryck joined his family newsagent business, which moved into commercial property, crisp manufacturing and pet food manufacturing, almost 30 years ago, and has also built his own commercial property investment business.

After buying the Whipper-In he spent a year refurbishing and re-engineering many aspects of the hotel while it remained open.

“The hotel needed a lot of TLC,” said Ryck.

“So, I have spent the first 12 months having the place largely redecorated and redressed and certain aspects, including a new cellar cooling system in the bar, updated and refurbished.”

Ryck plans to tackle the future work in phases starting with the transformation of the old coach house near Burley Road.

“The idea behind this is that guests seeking peace and quiet can arrive here, and if they want to, enjoy a relaxing stay without having to leave the hotel as we will provide all the facilities they want,” he explained.

“My dream is to have this hotel providing guests with a fantastic customer experience through a combination of a convivial atmosphere, first-class service and top-quality food.”

The Whipper-In is now on Facebook (facebook.com/WhipperInHotelOakham) and Instagram (@WhipperIn2023) and the new website is at https://www.thewhipperin.co.uk/

Ryck added: “I think it is fate that I identified this place as perfect to create my own version of the George Hotel, not knowing that it used to share the same name. Now all I have to do is create a coaching inn that befits that name.”