Converting $230,000 Manor House Into A Hotel With NO Experience | Country House Rescue | Abode

William and Ann were looking to buy a weekend cottage for them and their daughter Harriet. But after seeing Gissing Hall, they had to have it, sinking $230,000 into purchasing and renovation; they spent everything they had on this home. The couple turned the property into a hotel as a way to support themselves. Since Harriet quitting as manager, the hall has slowly lost popularity as William and Ann have no previous experience. Can businesswoman and hotelier, Ruth Watson, save the couple? Or is it time for them to check out of Gissing Hall?
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[@ellee2937]

3 cheers for Ruth who helped another family mansion turn around a miserable predicament & make an astounding success out of what always seem like a lost cause hip hip hooray! 👍🏻👏🏻😁 i wish this sweet couple continued success! 😄

[@Steve-yx6vo]

Looks like they sold it in 2013, read trip advisor reviews they are not good

[@ellee2937]

@@Steve-yx6vo interesting! thanks for the update 😄

[@mangoyacho]

I seems that they did do well after Ruth's visit. The update that I read said that they sold because they wanted to retire they were almost 70 so they needed a more laid back life. I applaud them for realizing their dream and turning Gissing Hall around before they sold it. Kudo's to them - they are an inspiration!

[@bonnie2057]

i would like to see updates on all of these clients she has helped just to see how accurate her advice was.

[@RoderickFernandez-ps5ci]

Me too I would love to see how they're all doing

[@patrice7p]

Ruth is NOT rude, she is just direct, sincere and realistic. The owners certainly need a wake up rumble!

[@scotnick59]

agreed.

[@RoderickFernandez-ps5ci]

Who had the nerve to say Ruth was rude She just tells you how it is man that's important

[@ivorytower99]

No love lost between Anne and William and Ruth Watson! Nor any hugs and kisses.

[@kathleenmurphy6009]

Wonderful news for this couple who listened to Ruth's very good advice, turned things around, made a success in the following 18 months and then SOLD it and moved on with their lives! Now new owners, apparently also inexperienced, after a number of disastrous events are trying to convert to apartments. Great show!

[@twistoffate4791]

That's kind of sad, really. If apartments are made, I'm afraid they will become run-down relics. But wouldn't it be a delight to live in such a building, even in an apartment setting? There are still a few in New York like that. Time will tell.

[@a697ag]

@@twistoffate4791 I think the kind of apartments they are speaking of are ones people purchase, not rentals. I would be over the moon to live in this place and this area.

[@Roscoesadie]

​@@twistoffate4791these new owners are ruining our house! I'm related to the 8th Baronet Kemp.

[@keepitsimple4629]

William says: "I've never done much of anything in my life". That says it all.

[@MizJaniceResinArt]

I like that he's so clearly aware of his own shortcomings. And quite honest about them.

[@HannaARTzink]

He hasn't been literal, he just expressed an utter humility, and opening, something most of us is lacking.

[@twistoffate4791]

@@HannaARTzink Well-stated. Agreed.

[@auntie1212]

Maybe he just thinks he is an average guy and has done what everyone does, I know some very impressive people who think they haven't done much because they assume they are just living a average life.

[@mapleleaf0]

If the article I found online called "Ruth's rescue came too late for us... even though our TV country house now makes £100,000 profit a year" is to be believed, the couple sold the property. They decided they really wanted to retire. I don't blame them. Edited: another article seems to confirm this.

[@broganmckoko]

Yes William and Ann turned a $ £100k profit following Roth's advice to concentrate on weddings, but William really wanted to retire. They sold to new owners Martha and Steve won seemed to have trouble keeping up the place. 10 years later and complaints about the maintenance (plumbing and cleaning) poured in. They were still booking weddings like crazy but poor management seems to have done them in. Now there is a request to turn the house into 4 apartments plus a living home for the owners. Disappointing William and Ann didn't have the stamina to keep it going. I guess once their daughter decided to take up a legal career, the writing was on the wall for the family keeping that house. It's a Charming place. Let's hope who over owns it now or next can treat it with the love and care it deserves.

[@kimberlyearly8918]

I was just getting ready to post the same info. Now I don't need to. 😁 I always look in the comments to see if anyone has any updates.

[@CB-zd2dn]

Thanks it's always good to know the outcome. ❤

[@thedivachannel3790]

The wedding business is a particularly stressful industry even for people who are younger than them so it's completely understandable if they opted to retire.

[@natalievisser4169]

Really nice to watch this episode where the owners take the advise and really show their commitment to change and have a better business.

[@ellenhageman7380]

It's a pleasure watching when owners actually get on board with Ruth's keen and helpful suggestions.

[@resnonverba137]

I hope it all worked out for them. William was rather amusing.

[@samanthaabreu782]

Some hotels are in remote places, but this one is in a remote, remote, remote place.

[@pauljames9393]

Buisness venues and events in the garden are a bonus too! I think a hotel is too demanding for private owners on this huge property ! Well done William and Ann !

[@mattneillninasmom]

The Gissing Hall Hotel is accepting bookings for October 2022 when I googled the site, so I guess the whole wedding venue idea js a thing of the past, and the same owners are still pictured.

[@js9248]

From Google, it appears they sold it soon after this.

[@twistoffate4791]

@Delores Du Bois, Thank you for the update.

[@twistoffate4791]

@@js9248 I think the building is incredibly beautiful, but dealing with wedding parties might get a wee bit tiring after awhile. Whatever they're doing now, I sure hope they are happy & content!!

[@amandamurray2346]

It's sad that it wasn't kept as a hotel wedding venue. It's so beautifully peaceful.

[@nativetexan6628]

And i love the British. We would just have to get on with it. And Crack On! It amazes me as an American that you people keep going no matter the odds. It's no wonder you rule 2/3 of the Earth at one time, or something like that. We may get on with it. We grit our teeth and trudge on too but we complain a lot about it first! 🤣🤣🤣

[@akashmukhopadhyay9335]

For once the couple listened, even Ruth was surprised & I did feel that they weren't hoteliers in any way just as Ruth. The young boy who worked there is absolutely positively beautiful. I always seem to think that these venues would be great filming locations even during the winter depending on the story line.

[@twistoffate4791]

I often feel that way, too, that these estates would be superb filming locations.

[@yolandagarza7897]

As always Ruth to the recuse!! She's awesome and smart 👏 👌

[@littlebrookreader949]

Well done, Ruth! Good luck, Anne and William! You, too, Tom! All the best! I love this series, Ruth! Love it! ❤️❤️❤️

[@sonaterese799]

Ruth was wonderful with her suggestion as always!

[@madeleine7411]

I watch these to see Ruth's relentless honesty. She simply confronts what prevents people from succeeding. And she is right more often than not. Ruth! Let's be friends. I love you!

[@mapleleaf0]

Heads up to the person at Abode who posts these videos. First, thank you for these! But also, this title misses the mark on the content. It is decidedly NOT converting into a hotel, but instead from a hotel. They are literally told to phase out the hotel aspect and focus on the wedding venue aspect.

[@terrytay1774]

Then what would u do with the many rooms?

[@mapleleaf0]

@@terrytay1774 They can be part of the package deal for the weddings. So in that sense, they would be hotel-like, but only as part of the wedding events (not a separately run hotel). That said, a search on the internet reveals that it seems to be back to a hotel, and not very well run, by the look of the reviews.

[@HannaARTzink]

Very nice, intelligent, modest, open to advise people. Thank you Ruth...

[@regant.cameron8237]

@bina nocht Agreed If it is really being set up as apartments it would be a very nice space for RICH artists 😂

[@sararichardson737]

As artists you would have expected a more considered interior: strangely pedestrian and lifeless.

[@RoderickFernandez-ps5ci]

I think you may be talking about the wrong house these people with this house were not artists at all

[@WilldoAldone]

Thanks to Ruth for great ideals, but the whole house seemed a little off and cold. I was not a fan of the large tent. The owners were nice people and agreeable to Ruth's recommendations. I hope they chose the right manager. He looked a little young and inexperienced.

[@jomama5186]

I sincerely pray they are able to get things going and the manor working for them, imstead of against them. These homes were supportive of their surrounding communities and that's what made them work and even thrive. The people lived in houses near the properties that were also owned by the manor houses, then people farmed on their lands, so maybe inviting an agriculture college to use a portion of he estate for a hands on type college experience would be really cool, or a horticulture school with the gardens. That way the attending students could maintain the gardens and property as part of their education? A win win ! I was like with Frank Lloyd Wright did in America, where the students built his house as part of their education and formal training in architecture

[@justinwhite6787]

Kudos to them for giving this such a good go! Looks like the property was indeed sold not too long after this was filmed. The property now will most likely become apartments.

[@i.m.7710]

I thought it might be. More attention and excitement and someone makes an offer!

[@resnonverba137]

Link please.

[@adrienneberger3642]

Interesting house and dilemma. 150,000 pounds is a good buy to have paid for that house. Should be divided into suites of rooms so that some could be used to let as is by the purchaser and some could be sold as freestanding mini apartments, independently owned. Those huge and old structures are so costly to update and usage is costly as well. But what a temptation to own.

[@RoderickFernandez-ps5ci]

What a terrible idea denude the house and turn it into an apartment building thank God the time has passed when they're doing that to these old houses I hope

[@lovelyskull3483]

Wonderful couple, wonderful Ruth. I wish them great success.

[@user-to9ie8lu4b]

I used to know Anne when she lived in London, worked as an art teacher, creating wonderful abstract paintings in yellow and rented out rooms to students. She used to be a very nice host! The idea of using the money from selling a small semi-detached house in London to buy a big mansion in the countryside surely was ambitious. Anybody who ever lived in a grand historic building knows these houses were built for people who can afford a lot of staff. Further more, these houses consume a lot of money to keep them up and renovation-works never end. Even 30 years ago you should have calculated at least 100.000 GBP from the start to get the building running, so the purchase price of around 150.000 GBP clearly turned out to be a chimera. Unfortunately, I have to agree with Ruth as far as the interior is concerned. The furniture and decorations were simply boring and lack any sense for creating a special atmosphere! Even when the budget is tight I would have expected Anne to be able to create pieces of art. Not the 18th or 19th century antiques would have been necessary, but at least special creations from an artist! Sadly the interior was only looking cheap and dull. Pls dont blame Ruth for being outspoken "rude", she just had to explain to the owners that the house in a far-away location does not have the spirits for many customers to make a detour and wanting to stay there. So I guess it was not only the upcoming retirement but the feeling of getting tired after decades of much work and little success to make the couple to finally sell their back then dream. Nevertheless, to finally get up to 10x the invested money back seems to be a fair reward for the work they did! Good luck to Anne and William!

[@stassji5041]

Pay professionals to run the castle for you with experience.

[@Morerhapsody]

Absolutely wonderful congratulations. Beautiful

[@getin3949]

Peregrine, as in Peregrine Falcon? Wow, that's unique.

[@currybase]

What on earth ever made this couple originally think it would be their weekend cottage??

[@RoderickFernandez-ps5ci]

Some people think big I think it's a cottage

[@josephlloyd9636]

How lovely these people are. Well done you 👍🌻🏆💕

[@PegsFlamingoville]

Just lovely! 💐

[@dianemosher3213]

Love Ruth’s necklaces

[@edwardjackson]

Well, that last comment on the preview Was real chearie! on ment about the reaching crises point, and when to expect it!

[@mitzloo1933]

The British and their carpeting lol

[@getin3949]

If this is a cold or coldest winter I would hate for them to have to live through one of our winters. There isn't any snow guys, or massive icicles hanging from the buildings. This isn't winter, it's Spring.

[@marthaj67]

Stop. This was filmed in 2009, one of the coldest winters FOR THEM. It's not a competition.

[@lizcaporicci8483]

I always enjoy these episodes but find the background music over-powering.

[@theodorabadra5]

Amazing prices i purchased a regular two bedroom in California back in 1983 for 102,000. i believe the pound against the u.s. dollar is pretty even or not?

[@richardgamnitzer3679]

some castles in Germany sell for 1 symbolic Euro - it's because these places are so costly to run that they sell for very little money (also very often they have to be renovated quickly and according to monument protection schemes which is very expensive too

[@krisbaker9427]

Did William get attacked by a lion? His neck and face was scratched badly.

[@maximhollandnederlandthene7640]

230.000 ? Its a steal 😂

[@uberglamazon]

Gabe up on your videos....Extreme amounts of advertising that disrupt the show far too often.

[@denisemcdonald4663]

I don’t understand the dark wire string lights when white string lights are the same price and wood look much better!

[@Josie2013]

Just thinking about the amount of work required to run this place has made me tired. It's time for a nap 😴!

[@hyzerfl1p]

what did he shave with a steak knive

[@yourfuneraldirector6432]

I dislike all the automatic door closers on an antique door. Very tacky

[@nativetexan6628]

I had a better bridal suite at the Ramada Inn!!! I would just cry if i had tp spend any part of my honeymoon in that place.

[@itsmyparty4637]

ahhhh, you cant buy good taste

[@mrbeanmrbean9047]

PISSING HALL🤣

[@SNIPERVIPER141]

The husband is giving off serf vibes

[@Ida-fz3ir]

"I have to use my brain"...yes! not kindergarden forever!

[@amandamurray2346]

I think they should have got in Alex polizzzi.

[@MrVibriocholerae]

I know the show is 20 years old but cmon 230k? Thats a bit too little no?

[@RoderickFernandez-ps5ci]

If you want to use the services of someone like Ruth you do what they say if you want to have your car fixed you call a mechanic you don't do it yourself hire somebody to do something let them do it

[@TMPreRaff]

“Physician, heal thyself”… She downplays THEIR design sense while maintaining her own never-changing massive-overcoats-with-massive bead necklaces and baggy pants. Maybe a redesign is in order there?

[@monicahamm3353]

stop with the dark blue or red carpets, UK! this house was built long ago..... refinish the hardwood floors underneath! and put lovely rugs down here and there! It's a country house for goodness sakes!

[@jimc4731]

Sorry to say, way too many commercials! JIM 😮

[@Sweetdee123]

to many ads and every show is from 2009!

[@taniagarciaduenas48]

😘🤗🌏🏡

[@tomsparks6099]

Ya know, when you own a property like this that requires 24/7/325 maintenance, you can't hide every single bit of construction material. Get real. People understand this. If you want to have a magical experience on a beautiful property and are blind to this fact, it's best you go to Disneyland.

[@twistoffate4791]

Ruth looks at a room filled with gorgeous antiques that would be a delight to look at but to her it's "well below par". Ruth has her mind made up that whatever is behind the door, it's not going to be good enough.

[@sgilbert5753]

True, there are a few attractive antique pieces, however these are artlessly tossed in with far inferior pieces and sagging tired upholstered chairs. Even just removing the horribly unattractive solid dark blue wall-to-wall carpeting would immediately be a vast improvement, as it, and the curtains date the accommodations. What probably confounds most is the couple claim to be artists. Yet, there is hope, as the rooms have delightful architecture.

[@passerineblue]

They are not lovely antiques. They are well worn run of the mill Victorian repros of antiques. The two 4 poster beds are hideous and should have been tossed. People don't expect 4 poster beds anymore.

[@happykim621]

I'm done sitting tight for the award advance since i acquire$23,000 every 12 days of my investment.

[@happykim621]

@Evgenija Bevcar Mr Clinton services are indeed top notch, if it were up to me i will keep him to myself and not recommend him to just anybody.

[@andersoncollins5432]

l just got myself a new Tesla model car just few weeks back after started trading with Mr Clinton, he's such a great man👍.

[@patrice7p]

Design is definitely a problem throughout the whole episode. Awful decor…the awfully dressed chap is only a wedding adviser, not a designer

[@finn4785]

Your intro sounds like a sniffing dog.

[@jcmunich1]

Typical middle class Brits with upper class aspirations. They want a big house to play landed gentry but haven’t got enough cash for the upkeep so they take in paying guests. Then they realise paying guests are demanding, oh didums.

[@LadyElizabeth46]

Horrible music

[@barbarat5729]

THAT'S a designer???? Unbelievably unprofessional looking. Ugh.

[@bonnieanderson1568]

RUTH IS CRUEL.

[@itsmyparty4637]

nope. Ruth says it like it is, not thinking one thing and saying another. Sometimes one has to be cruel to be kind :)

[@broganmckoko]

The problem with Ruth is her thinking is to myopic. She wants things done the way she did her hotel and can't see any other way. Nor can she appreciate any other Style. There's another host for these shows, a fellow, who thinks in a more varied way. He comes across as a lot more enthusiastic and kinder. Having watched him I can no longer watch Ruth without getting disgusted.

[@marthabille8193]

Sorry Ruth but your incessant rudeness has caused me to sign off of your series. You can give good ideas but you don’t nerd to try to outdo your meanness. It is very unattractive and hurtful.

[@patrice7p]

She is NOT rude, just direct and realistic. The owners certainly need a wake up rumble..