Fat Badger Group Rejoins BWH Hotels GB
We’re delighted to share that Fat Badger Group has rejoined BWH Hotels GB (Best Western Hotels & Resorts) as we enter an exciting new phase of growth and development across our Yorkshire portfolio.
Following a significant period of investment across our hotels, restaurants and pubs, our return to BWH Hotels GB marks an important next step for the group. With seven of our properties joining the BWH Hotels portfolio, we’re looking forward to building on the individual character and reputation of each property while benefiting from greater commercial reach, distribution, sales and marketing support.
A New Chapter for Fat Badger Group
Over the last few years, we’ve invested heavily across the Fat Badger Group, with a particular focus on developing our properties, creating new bedrooms, strengthening our food and beverage offering and continuing to build distinctive experiences across Yorkshire.
That investment has included the major redevelopment of the Guy Fawkes Inn in York, where a neighbouring Grade I listed building was acquired and subsequently converted, creating 27 additional bedrooms. This has helped take the group’s total number of bedrooms to 411.
Our coastal property, Royal Whitby, has also experienced significant growth following investment since joining the Fat Badger Group in 2024, with the hotel recording a particularly strong performance following a record-breaking summer.
Across the wider group, our focus remains firmly on creating individual hotels and hospitality destinations that have their own identity, personality and connection to their local communities.
Seven Yorkshire Hotels Joining BWH Hotels
As part of our return to BWH Hotels GB, all seven Fat Badger properties will operate within BWH Hotels’ portfolio.
These include:
- Royal Whitby, Whitby
- The Yorkshire, Harrogate
- White Hart Hotel & Apartments, Harrogate
- Hotel Clementine, York
- The Fat Badger, York
- Guy Fawkes Inn, York
- Black Horse Inn, Kirkby Fleetham
Together, the properties represent a diverse collection of hotels across Yorkshire, each with its own character and story.
Looking Ahead
Returning to BWH Hotels GB is about supporting the next stage of our growth.
Our food and beverage businesses across North Yorkshire are already performing strongly, with restaurants including The Pickled Sprout and our Fat Badger pubs developing into destinations in their own right. Our next opportunity is to bring that same profile and momentum to our hotels.
BWH Hotels GB gives us access to a wider distribution network, loyalty programme, sales and marketing expertise, revenue support and valuable industry insight. For an independent group like Fat Badger, this provides an opportunity to increase the visibility of our hotels while continuing to retain the individuality that makes each property special.
There is also plenty more to come. Further investment is planned across the estate, including exciting development plans for the Black Horse Inn, with proposals for a farmhouse, village farm shop and 24 luxury lodges set around the property’s lakes.
As a group, we’ve never been one to stand still. We’re continually looking at how we can improve, develop and create, and our return to BWH Hotels GB forms an important part of that journey.
Featured in Boutique Hotelier
We’re also pleased to have been featured in Boutique Hotelier, one of the leading publications covering the UK’s boutique and independent hotel sector.
It’s fantastic to see the work taking place across Fat Badger Group recognised by the hospitality industry, particularly at a time when we’re investing in our properties and looking ahead to the next stage of our growth.
Read the full article in Boutique Hotelier to find out more about Fat Badger Group’s return to BWH Hotels GB and our plans for the future.
