How to find historic castles and hotels in the UK and Ireland

History enthusiasts, people who want to sleep where the royalty stayed, and fans looking for connections with television programs such as “Bridgerton.”

These are some of the types of travelers that a new “collection” of historic castles, mansions and mansions in the United Kingdom and Ireland is hoping to attract.

The Storied Collection is a travel website that lists hotels and heritage homes – including private castles – so history-loving holidaymakers can wait to find what suits them.

The idea for the site came to Storied Collection co-founder Michael Goldin when he was looking for a “beautiful castle” to live in after Covid travel rules were relaxed and UK borders reopened, he said.

But the process of sifting through online search results was unsatisfying, he said.

Finally, he discovered Fenton Tower, a Scottish castle with 12th-century origins, which had been restored and converted into a luxury residence in 2000. Goldin also found an ancestral connection to the tower – in the 16th century, It was briefly owned in the 13th century. great-grandfather, a man named Sir Alexander Hamilton, he told CNBC in an email.

Goldin, who is from the United States, loves history, as do many Americans, some of whom try to trace their family history to other continents.

Encouraged by reopening borders and shows like “Bridgerton” and “The Crown,” Americans are returning to the United Kingdom, with flights from the US to the UK from February to April this year on the t -way to surpass pre-pandemic levels, up 9% from spring 2019, according to the tourist group Visit Britain.

Returning from vacation, Goldin called Justin Hauge, his predecessor Airbnb officer and friend. He said ‘Hey, I took this amazing trip with my wife, it was like no other trip I’ve ever taken…I felt like I was transported back in time. I want to investigate this,'” Hauge told CNBC by phone.

Hauge – who left Airbnb in 2021 after more than a decade – reached out to castle owners and operators in the UK and Ireland who told him their websites had been “hacked” random in online search results. They also said they didn’t have an effective way to tell their stories to the passengers they wanted to reach, he said.

This was Hauge’s “light bulb moment,” he said. Hauge and Goldin, with the help of Best Western UK vice president Rob Paterson, launched the Storied Collection in 2022.

Encouraged by reopening borders and shows like “Bridgerton” and “The Crown,” Americans are returning to the United Kingdom, with flights from the US to the UK from February to April this year on the t -way to surpass pre-pandemic levels, up 9% from spring 2019, according to the tourist group Visit Britain.

Travelers who like the idea of ​​staying in a historically significant place can search the Storied Collection accommodation by surname, if they are looking for a family connection to a particular owner or to a former famous host. Listings also detail television shows and movies filmed at the homes and hotels.

The listing for Fenton Tower – which sleeps up to 13 people – describes nine former owners and King James VI as a guest, as well as a ruined medieval church. It is also said to be ideal for golf holidays with over 100 courses within a 30 mile radius of its location in the East Lothian region of Scotland.

If that’s too small, the 31-room, 17th-century Markree Castle in County Sligo, Ireland, once hosted country singer Johnny Cash and his wife June Carter Cash. Surnames of previous owners include Cooper, Bingham and Synge, according to the Storied Collection.

Hauge said Americans’ love of British and Irish historical sites has grown over the years.

“These kinds of heritage attractions… have been a huge draw for US travelers… The last few years, with the popularity of shows like ‘Downton Abbey’ and ‘Bridgerton,’ have brought new awareness create this. [in] … travelers who want to experience this lifestyle, and there’s really nowhere else they can do that,” he said.

In a global survey of around 23,000 people on how tourists have seen Britain by Visit Britain, those in the US ranked the statement “a place where I can explore the history and heritage” as their main impression of the country

Rooms at the Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa in Bath, a Georgian building on a street featured on “Bridgerton,” can be booked through the Storied Collection, with patrons able to choose from 45 rooms and suites on the decor by British designer Jane Clayton.

The hotel is one of three accommodations on the “1,000 Years of History” itinerary proposed by the Storied Collection, where the buildings have a total age of 1,000 years. Near Bath, guests can stay at Thornbury Castle, Henry VIII’s 16th-century residence.

The king’s bedroom, where he stayed with his second wife Anne Boleyn in 1535, is even available to sleep in, and more recent guests, according to the list, are Sophia Loren and Laurence Olivier. Rooms start at $344, according to the Storied Collection website.

The third building on the tour is The Rubens at the Palace, a hotel that was once part of Buckingham Palace‘s land. There are royal themed bedrooms as well as more classic luxury accommodation.

The seven-night “1,000 Years of History Tour” costs from $1,999, according to the Storied Collection website.

Hauge said his favorite was Gilmerton House, a 17th-century Scottish mansion that could accommodate up to 20 guests. “It’s almost like you’re living in a museum,” he said of the building, which is owned by the 13th generation of the Kinloch family.

Storied Collection hopes to sign more major properties, Goldin said. One recent addition is Pentrehobyn Hall in North Wales, a Jacobean manor built by Edward Lloyd in 1625 which remains in the same family ownership today.