Pub Stays in Britain: Food, Lodging and Hanging Out With Locals

To my right, two 70-something regulars at the Exhibition pub in York, England, peppered me with questions on American politics, taught me how to recognize a fresh pint of beer (it should leave a path of foam on the glass) and invited me next door for a curry at their favorite Indian restaurant.

To my left, a middle-aged couple visiting from Manchester recommended the pub’s burger and identified the gaggle of college-age men in vintage golf attire — replete with tams and argyle prints — as playing “pub golf,” a drinking contest that involves hitting 18 pubs.

This easy camaraderie was the byproduct of checking into a pub with accommodations. A pub stay offers the hotel-like convenience of on-site room and board with a bar-like following among the local community.

Challenged by everything from inflation to remote work patterns, many pub owners say renting rooms is increasingly important to their survival. The British Beer and Pub Association estimates there are roughly 45,000 pubs across Britain, down about 2,000 pubs since 2019.

The online platform I used to find the Exhibition, Stay in a Pub, lists more than 1,600 establishments with lodgings throughout Britain, which are searchable by facilities, activities and price (averaging 100 to 300 pounds a night, or roughly $125 to $375, usually including breakfast and taxes).