A seafront hotel in Broadstairs which previously scooped a place in The Observer’s top five venues in the country has gone on the sale market.
The Bay Tree Hotel in Eastern Esplanade has ten en-suite guest rooms; eight with sea views, plus owner’s accommodation and parking.
It is being marketed by Terence Painter estate agents for £1.25m a as business but could also be taken on as a private home.
The hotel was bought by couple Alistair Dixon and Robert Stone in April 2015 after they decided to ditch the crowds and stress of city life.
For their first season the couple, accompanied by their Bedlington Terrier Ben, ran the business as it stood, closing off individual rooms during the winter so some work could take place.
In October 2016 the renovation really got underway as Alistair and Robert took on the job of creating a boutique hotel and restaurant that would reflect their own tastes and characters.
The site reopened in December 2017 with an official launch in February 2018.
Much of the building was brought back to its Victorian roots. The aluminium windows were replaced with traditional wooden sash windows, the original skirting and doors were kept or copied, and stairs and landings were restored to their former glory.
The ten en-suite bedrooms were named after British trees, reflecting the hotel’s namesake Bay tree – thought to be the oldest and largest in Kent.
Of special interest was the unique Harry Potter art work by Miraphora Mina and Eduardo Lima, who created the graphic universe of the entire Harry Potter film series. The couple were the only people in the world to have a full set of 130 pictures and these were displayed in the hotel’s library, sea-view lounge and entrance lobby.
Former telecoms manager and gifted musician Alistair passed away last November at Pilgrims Hospice Canterbury from liver disease.
Robert now plans to retire with terriers Leila and Ptolemy and move to the Peak District to be nearer to his family.
He said: “We built a successful business with lots of return visitors but the time is right for me to do something else.
“The key benefits (of the Bay Tree) include its unrivalled se-facing location in a quiet area with our own parking but also no restrictions on the Esplanade. I think we are also the only Broadstairs hotel which has EV charging.
“We have the ten bedrooms and the owner’s accommodation which could easily be converted to another room, the restaurant area and a big commercial kitchen.
“The property has run as a B&B/hotel since at least the 1970s, maybe before, when it was known as Edencliffe and the whole (Esplanade) stretch had hotels.”
The couple had also established the Bay Tree restaurant with a focus on ‘from sea to plate’ and have been staunch supporters of the town’s businesses through the Broadstairs Tourism and Leisure Association.
Robert says he and husband Alistair created a special venue that is high standard with “amazing” staff and many return customers who also spend their money in town businesses and hotels.
But, he says, part of what made Bay Tree extra special has been its family home feel and being a dog friendly destination.
He said: “When you walk in you can tell it is family run.”
Agent James Painter said: “‘We had the pleasure of selling the property to Alistair and Robert back in 2015 and it has been wonderful to follow the property’s transformation over the past few years.
“Following Alistair’s sad passing, Robert kindly invited us to market the property for him. We are pleased to say that we have already had a good level of enquiries from potential buyers, both locally and from further afield, all of whom would be interested in continuing to operate the hotel.”
Viewing are by appointment and Terry Painter estate agents are the sole marketers for the property.
Find it at https://terencepainter.ezadspro.co.uk/details/21042806
