A PROPERTY tycoon and star of a Channel 5 show has given his verdict on a Herefordshire town’s dilapidated hotel.
Rick Gannon, who has amassed over 400,000 followers on TikTok thanks to his popular videos depicting life as a landlord, visited Bromyard recently after acquiring a new property in the town, and took viewers along to the town’s Market Square, home to the former Hop Pole Hotel, which has drawn much attention over the years due to its crumbling facade and the lack of redevelopment.
The former hotel was sold at auction for £121,000 in June, but has been closed since 2019.
Alfie Best, the so-called ‘gypsy millionaire’, previously owned the building and had plans to turn it into a boutique hotel and restaurant, but later sold the property after encountering development challenges.
The most recent owner of the hotel has not been made public.
Mr Gannon, known for his appearances on Channel 5’s Rich House, Poor House, said it was good to see that it had been sold.
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He said: “It is a big blight in this lovely market town that really does need something doing to it.”
He added: “I know it’s been purchased, but I think there’s going to be so much work that needs to be done to it inside.
“And whether they turn it into a hotel again or whether they turn it into flats or something different, I don’t know, but it’s nice that it’s been sold,”
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“But it’s also a listed building as well.”
He described its current state as “such a shame.”
Following its purchase, a planning application was submitted to Herefordshire Council in July 2025 proposing seven new apartments at the site, while retaining commercial use on the ground floor.
A decision on the plans has not yet been published.
During his visit, Mr Gannon praised Bromyard as “an absolutely lovely market town” and spoke fondly of its character, black-and-white buildings, and local businesses.
