Historic hotel to get facelift under new owners

The Halifax hotel dates from the 18th century, but it must move with the times to meet the needs of 21st century travellers.

The hotel, which stands in Mulcture Hall Road, is under new ownership and set for major refurbishment after securing a finance agreement with Santander Corporate Banking.

The husband and wife team of Abhishek and Nidhee Gupta plan to modernise the building and increase trade in the hotel’s restaurant and bar.

They also plan to introduce an online booking system, which they hope to have up and running later this summer.

A spokesman for the hotel, which has 10 staff, said Dr and Mrs Gupta, bought the 54-bedroom hotel from Raffaele Scalfaro, who had owned and managed the business for more than 25 years. Dr Gupta said: “We are delighted with the purchase of The Wool Merchant Hotel.

“We have been reviewing the market for almost a year, waiting for the perfect opportunity, so we were pleased when The Wool Merchant Hotel became available.

“The property has lots of potential and we’re looking forward to maximising it over the coming months.”

David Stuart, the relationship director at Santander Corporate Banking, said yesterday: “I’m pleased we have been able to support the Gupta’s with the acquisition of The Wool Merchant Hotel.

“This is their first hotel in the UK, but they have lots of experience in the hospitality sector, having managed two deluxe hotels in India.”

The Wool Merchant Hotel dates from a period when a large part of Yorkshire’s wealth was based around the hand woven textiles trade.

It is about the same age as Halifax’s Grade I listed Piece Hall, which is the sole survivor of the great 18th century northern cloth halls.

Today, the Wool Merchant Hotel’s core clients are business travellers.

It’s hoped that the refurbishment programme will also make the hotel attractive to Halifax people, who want to savour a piece of local history.