About Us
A warm welcome in the heart of York
Whether you are visiting York to explore this historic, vibrant city, attending a business function, or simply seeking a quiet, stress-free break, you won’t find a more welcoming place to stay than Hedley House.
Located in the heart of the city, five minutes’ walk from the train station and with all the major sights within walking distance, the family-friendly Hedley House really does tick all the boxes – off-street parking, beautifully renovated Victorian rooms and apartments, superb food, as well as its own spa and yoga studio.
Owners Greg and Lou Harrand and their team will take care of all your needs and ensure your visit is everything you want it to be.
The personal touch
As most travellers and holidaymakers know, it’s the small, personal touches that really make the difference when it comes to accommodation, and that’s exactly what the owners of Hedley House pride themselves on.
Greg and Lou Harrand and their team go above and beyond when it comes to ensuring their guests have a memorable experience and many return time and again, safe in the
knowledge they can rely on exceptional service, wonderful rooms, top notch food, and extremely helpful hosts.
"The hotel offers plenty of family and group accommodation".
Your hosts: The Harrand Family
Blend of old and new
Hedley House has belonged to the Harrand family for two generations – Greg’s parents bought the Victorian property in 1983, restoring it and turning it into a successful bed and breakfast business.
Greg explained: “They lived down south and people thought they were crazy to take on this huge gamble up in Yorkshire, but they had a vision and were determined to bring it to life.
They poured their heart and soul into it. “I was eight at the time so I spent most of my childhood living here, then became involved in the business in my early 20s. When my parents retired, I paid the market rate and took it over in 2000. It’s more than work for me, I’ve got a deep bond with this place that goes a long way back. I’ve lived on every floor, I know the building inside out.”
He set out on a development programme to bring the property fully up to date, creating a wonderful blend of old and new as original Victorian features remain, complemented by smart, modern furniture and stylish accessories.
“I enjoy the challenge and like thinking of further improvements I can make to ensure guests get the best experience possible,” he added.
One such change was the creation of spa facilities
and a yoga studio
– in fact, the only ‘hot yoga’ studio in the city! The on-site Massage22 salon boasts a heavenly range of massages and beauty treatments, although it is incredibly popular and hotel guests are advised to book well in advance.
An outdoor Jacuzzi is available for guests to use free of charge, and pay-as-you-go yoga classes take place every day of the week from morning until late. Greg also caters for environmentally friendly drivers, with an electric car charging point in the hotel’s off-street car park.
Family-friendly features
The hotel offers plenty of family and group accommodation and a big plus-point for many visitors is the level of child-friendliness offered by Greg and his staff. He said: “People might not expect that from a relatively small Victorian hotel, but we adore children and the whole team go out of their way to help ease the burden on families who are ultimately trying to enjoy a holiday.”
Whether that’s sterilising or warming a baby’s bottle, letting the children entertain themselves in the lounge while parents enjoy their meal, organising early tea-time meals for youngsters, or advising on local entertainment options, they do everything possible to support their guests.
This focus on family values has an unusual origin – in 2004, Greg and Lou were honeymooning on the Thai island of Koh Phi Phi when the devastating Boxing Day tsunami struck. The couple loved travelling and had been planning further adventures, but the events of that day changed the course of their lives forever
They were lucky to survive the harrowing ordeal with non-life threatening injuries and Greg recalls being in hospital a few days later: “I turned to Lou and said, ‘Travelling is rubbish. Let’s go home and start a family’ and that’s just what we did.”
Now, with three children of their own, they fully empathise with the challenges parents face when organising a family trip away from home, and do their best to anticipate their needs. Greg added: “We have two girls and a boy and they love the hotel, they treat the place like home. Guests might well come across their shoes kicked off, and coats and school books lying around!”
And that’s not the only impact the disaster had on their outlook. “You don’t know what other people have been through, everyone has a story. It’s important to treat people with kindness and respect, and be a friend to them,” said Greg.
It also led to Lou taking a fresh perspective on her personal life goals, which is ultimately what led to the creation of her Yogabomb studio. “I’d become really interested in yoga and wellbeing and was regularly going all the way to Harrogate for ‘hot yoga’ classes,” she said.
“Then I just thought, why don’t I give it a go myself? And with Greg’s support, we made it happen.”
The studio is going from strength to strength and now offers yogis a cosy café and shop as well as a weekly timetable of classes (open to both the general public and hotel guests).
To contact us, ring 01904 637404 or fill in our contact form
and we'll call you back
Listen to Lou describe their Tsunami ordeal and find out how she's healed with Yoga
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Simply wonderful. Stayed for our ruby wedding anniversary and had a dozen guests for a small party. Andrew and his team were so attentive and helpful catering for 3 people with allergies providing lovely meals for us all. A good quiet location only 5 minutes from the centre of the city. We would thoroughly recommend this hotel.
Stuart Tomlinson
The hotel location is nice. Staff and breakfast are also nice. You have a lovely jacuzzi in the place, take some bikini And shorts to get in, you won't regret. We got there before check in time and they let us in. If you want to workout, there's yoga just beside them and a spa. Highly recommend the place.
Alessandra Dianin
A wonderful stay for myself and my daughter's...the staff where amazing and at breakfast nothing was too much even them wanting icecream for breakfast....rooms to a very high standard would not hesitate to recommend.
Alan Simpson
