'The phone lines of the Pig Hotel broke because so many people tried to book': founder Robin Hutson retires
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For its legions of dedicated fans, the Pig isn’t a hotel so much as a lifestyle. “We get a lot of people throughout the year who are returning visitors. They'll move from Pig to Pig,” its founder Robin Hutson tells me. “They’re very keen to tell you how they've collected the set of Pigs, if you know what I mean. You know: ‘we've been to Bath and we're going to try this one’ and so forth.”.
This dedication even extends to opening new branches. “The rush of bookings from our existing database is really substantial. We’ve broken the phone lines and the website and all the rest of it that on occasions when we open up the bookings first thing. Yeah, there's a real commitment from the tribe.”.
Isn’t there just. It’s only been 14 years since Robin Hutson launched the first Pig in Brockenhurst, but these days, it’s a booming business boasting eight branches – plus a new Cotswolds location set to open this year, as well as several more in the pipeline.
Boasting a farm to table ethos (plus excellent food), quirky design (from Hutson’s wife and co-founder Judy) and sprawling gardens, they’ve become the go-to countryside destination of choice for London’s fashionable set. But after ten years in the business, Hutson and Judy are stepping down.
It is Hutson’s birthday when we talk – rather appropriately, for a chat that’s all about legacy. With him is Tom Ross, the man who’ll be replacing him. It’s not a retirement, per se – “we don’t say the ‘r’ word,” Hutson jokes – but it’s certainly a stepping down, handing the reins over to a man who has been part of the business almost as long as he has.
