The Haweswater Hotel, a secret retreat in the Lake District, is finally seeing the financial benefits of a recent restoration to its former glory.

Olivier Cavaliere purchased the hotel in 2007 to start a refurbishment project on the property.

The art deco style of the building was renewed and Mr.Cavaliere added six additional bedrooms to bring the hotel’s total up to 21 en-suite rooms.

The Haweswater prides itself on the “wilderness” of its setting, an aspect its recent redevelopment has restored to the property.

But more importantly, Mr. Cavalier’s improvements have helped increase the property’s annual turnover to £362,944 and further growth is expected in the near future.

Mr. Cavaliere sold the property to private buyer Stephen O’Sullivan, who is described by the hotel’s website as “a restoration and historic building enthusiast.” O’Sullivan is planning to provide further investment into the property.

Neil Thomson of Colliers International acted on behalf of Mr. Cavaliere during the sale. He said:  “We are starting to see the market for these unique, characterful hotels heat up with interest from lifestyle buyers and investors in the UK, USA, mainland Europe and Asia, drawn to this area of natural beauty and the strong investment potential of the properties.”

“There is nowhere quite like it in the country,” he said. “The Haweswater has 100 square miles of nature reserve all to itself.  I have stayed there a few times and found the location so tranquil and beautiful; it’s like an antidote to the modern world.  When you combine that with the wonderful architecture and history of the building, it’s unique.
 
“The Haweswater will become a destination for people who appreciate the Lake District as nature intended, but still want luxury and fine dining, after a day’s hiking or mountain-biking.”

The Haweswater was originally built in 1937 to replace The Old Dunn Bull in Mardale Village. The previous property sadly had to be demolished so that flooding in the area could create a reservoir to supply to increasing needs of a growing Manchester.

In 2012, the hotel won the Best Kept Secret Award for Best UK Location as voted by LateRooms.com subscribers and readers of the Sun newspaper.