No Caption ABCDE EMN-220225-094714001No Caption ABCDE EMN-220225-094714001
No Caption ABCDE EMN-220225-094714001

Inn for hire pulls in 681% more punters!

A new business venture in which people can rent out a village pub for a weekend has not only seen the hostelry saved from closure, but has seen the inn fully booked until March 2023!

Richard and Nikki Stockdale, owners of the 500-year-old White Hart Inn in Tetford, received fame beyond their wildest dreams when they began offering the opportunity for guests to rent the inn out all to themselves for a weekend via Air B&B, and after appearing in the national news, have seen a huge upturn in fortune.

Air B&B has reportedly reported a 681 percent rise in interest in the Lincolnshire Wolds since the White Hart went viral three weeks ago, and the inn itself has had more than 22,000 viewings on Air B&B.

Richard was born and raised in Tetford and Nikki moved to the area 20 years ago and took over the pub. Richard then moved into the pub when the couple met 10 years ago.

But the Covid-19 pandemic had a devastating effect on their business, as it did with many in the hospitality industry, and despite their many attempts to keep extra money coming in, such as hosting quiz nights and live music events, the pub was in danger of closure.

Richard said: “We tried everything we could think of but nothing really took off and when covid hit, we thought we would try and concentrate our efforts on the accommodation side of things and it seems to have hit a good spot with people.”

In a unique venture, the couple now offer punters the opportunity to rent the whole pub and its six guest rooms for an entire weekend, from Friday to Sunday night, with all food and drink to last them the weekend pre-ordered and with access to the kitchen.

Richard and Nikki will then provide an acclimatisation tour of the facilities, and as they live next door to the pub, are on-hand to help with queries any time.

Guests can then spend the weekend pulling their own pints, playing pool in the games room, cooking a slap-up meal and exploring the stunning countryside in the surrounding Wolds.

People that have come so far have left amazing reviews and we’ve catered for lots of different events, from old school friends reuniting to 60th birthdays,” Richard said.

“It’s not just great for our business and saving the pub, but also for the Lincolnshire Wolds as well as many people are coming to the area to stay with us and exploring places they’ve never even heard of.”

The couple’s new venture was then featured in the national news, as well as on the Lad Bible website, and now the pub is fully booked for renting out until this time next year!

The upturn in fortune for the White Hart has now also seen Richard and Nikki able to open to the public during the week as well, from Monday to Thursday 5pm to 10pm, with weekends dedicated to the hiring of the inn.

“We would just like to get the word out though that we are open weekdays to the general public, maybe not as we originally were two years ago but times have changed unfortunately and pubs have got to explore new avenues to avoid permanent closure,” Richard added.

The White Hart Inn can be booked for up to 12 guests and bookings will be available via Air B&B shortly.

To book the White Hart Inn, visit Air B&B’s website at www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/34027929, and for other enquiries visit https://whiteharttetford.my-free.website/

Related topics: