Couple look to sell hotel through prize draw

The owners of a 14-bed hotel in Harwich are hoping to sell it in a rather unconventional way through a prize draw.

Potential buyers are being invited to pay £1,000 for a ticket which will be entered into a draw with the hotel as the prize.

Tickets went on sale this week at winahotel.co.uk

According to the owners, Gordon and Blossom Hoyles, The Hotel Continental turns over around £250,000 a year.

"We’ve been here 18 years and probably getting a bit stale, so new people could possibly do better," say the couple on the website.

"We feel it has come of age and it is time for us to leave home. In addition we have been told that it could take up to two years to find a buyer and we don’t have that much time to wait."

The couple appeared on the Channel 4 hit TV show of ‘Four in the Bed’ in 2012 and raised eyebrows for their taste in erotic art.

They said liaising with the right solicitors, barristers and other relevant organisations has not been an easy ride but have now have the right boxes ticked to make it all legal.

They hope the draw will take place date on May 1 2015.

They admitted they have made several attempts to sell the hotel in the past, but say that each time they ‘fell in love’ with it all over again.