The Townhouse, 34 Old Elvet, Durham, DH1 3HN

Although currently closed, The Townhouse Hotel is very well known and regarded in and around Durham with a reputation as a high-quality boutique hotel and restaurant.

The Townhouse is located on Old Elvet, a popular and much-frequented part of Durham City and just a short walk from the stunning Elvet Bridge which spans a picturesque stretch of the River Wear. Just a short distance beyond is the beautiful and very historic city centre with its maze of cobbled streets which are home to numerous shops, cafes, bars and restaurants which make Durham a huge draw for tourism.

Towering over the city and the river is the magnificent Castle, while even more impressive is Durham Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site which dominates the sky-line and which is visible from miles around. Durham University is very highly regarded, and its students and visitors generate considerable revenue for the city’s leisure and hospitality sector.

The cities of Sunderland and Newcastle upon Tyne both lie within 20 miles and excellent road links provide access to large towns and population centres such as Washington, Gateshead and Darlington. The wider north east region also has much to offer, with a superb coastline stretching from North Yorkshire to The Scottish Borders, whilst The North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is just a short drive away.

On the ground floor is the smart and stylish reception area and a very well presented bar which is open to the public.

Beyond the reception is the 30-cover restaurant with open kitchen, it is felt that these rooms could be utilised to provide a further one or two letting rooms should the new owner wish to take out the food and beverage trade and focus solely on rooms income.

There is a room on the first floor which is currently used for storage, this has previously been used for staff/manager accommodation in the past. It could be used for the provision of either a large, luxurious suite, two good sized suites or returned to its former use for manager/staff/night porter living quarters.

To the rear of the hotel, and pleasantly situated in the grounds, are the Garden Suites, three recently constructed and very spacious luxury, self contained rooms with superb en suite bathrooms, ideal for guests requiring privacy and seclusion.

There are currently 10 sumptuous bedroom suites, seven of which are in the main building and a further three, the Garden Suites, which are located within the rear garden and are of excellent standards of presentation and size. All of the rooms are individually themed and are very well presented with en suites and some have feature free-standing baths.

The Townhouse is being sold with vacant possession and without any historic trading information. When open and trading the hotel enjoyed very good reviews across all of the travel and booking websites and room rates ranged from £157 per night for the smaller suites to £240 per night for The Hideway and The Penthouse suites, with the Garden Suites fetching a significant premium. When trading, the hotel frequently enjoyed high levels of occupancy.

It is felt that with minimal costs and re-modelling, the hotel could be converted to an exclusive hire or AirBnB self contained apartment model for which there is significant demand in the Durham area.