ON BOARD WITH Richard Sykes
“I’m driven, but I’m quite a relaxed individual who enjoys what we’ve created, ” says Richard A Sykes. “Although a lot of people wouldn’t agree with that, ” he admits. The energetic owner of the 108ft, 1967 Benetti Odyssey III, Sykes has an extensive collection of modem and classic cars and owns numerous hotels across the UK.
His most recent acquisition was the 17th century Grantley Hall manor house in Ripon, Yorkshire in England, which he bought with his mother, Valeria. Together, they transformed the tired, local government-owned teacher training college into one of Britain’s leading luxury hotels – with 47 rooms, five restaurants (one Michelin-starred), a spa and a gym equipped with underwater treadmills and an altitude training room, to accommodate the world’s leading sports teams and athletes. Richard’s children, Thomas, William and Emily, are also heavily involved in the business.
His tenacity and business success, he believes, stems in large part from his upbringing. Leaving school at the age of 16, he went
