A hotel in Padiham is on the hunt for the ideal site to open another venue after a successful 18 months.

The Lawrence Hotel, in Church Street, is on the hunt for its sister venue.

The hotel, which was named best dog-friendly business at the Lancashire Tourism Awards last year, has reportedly seen a massive 50 per cent growth in the last 18 months.

This is after figures released earlier this month revealed the UK fell into recession at the end of 2023 after two quarters in a row of falling output.

Hotel director, Michael Huckerby, says the boom in business is partly to a shift towards more intimate weddings and its live events, ranging from drag queen bingo to six course taster menu evenings.

“Now seems the right time to take our style of hospitality to another town," he said.

"A recession might seem a crazy time to be looking for another venue but we simply can’t grow our current site much more,” Michael said.

Plans are already underway as Paul Collard joined the team as head chef late last year, from the Mercure Dunkenhalgh Hotel and Spa in Clayton-le-Moors, as well as the internal promotion of food and beverage manager Joshua Fox to operations manager.

Both positions will span both venues.

Josh said: “We have seen some really great sites but aren’t in a rush to find something, there is one we really like but it’s very early days.”  

Paul said: “It’s an exciting time to join The Lawrence hotel and the newly formed Huckerby Hotels group as we strive to bring the first ever rosette to Padiham”.

Some believe the hotel has a haunted history and some have reported seeing the ghost of a young girl.

The Lawrence is a 200-year-old, grade II listed hotel, which opened in 2019. Michael opened the hotel after running an advertising agency in New York.

Ideal for walks, the hotel is also situated near some scenic spots such as Pendle Hill, Gawthorpe Hall and Memorial Park.

It has also built a reputation for weddings and other events.