A hotel in rural North Yorkshire has been connected to super-fast broadband for the first time using a fibre optic cable installed by a local businessman.

Alan Cryer, owner of the Oakwood Park Business Centre, was responsible for setting up the network now used by Hob Green Country House and other businesses in the Harrogate area.

The Harrogate News reported comments from Julian Smith, MP for Skipton and Ripon, who welcomed the development during a recent visit to the Markington hotel.

"Having slow broadband connections can be detrimental to the success of any business," he said.

"I am pleased that hotels, such as Hob Green, can now do more to attract the business community who demand high quality broadband access for meetings and to work."

Mr Smith is leader of the Broadband North Yorkshire campaign, which was set up to promote next-generation broadband access and improve internet services in England's most rural county.

According to the campaign, about 30 per cent of properties in the region are currently located in low-speed areas.

Mr Cryer told the newspaper he had "no choice but to invest" in the technology after becoming frustrated with below-par broadband services.

Last month, a hotel and restaurant in the Rutland village of Hambleton reported seeing a major upturn in business following the installation of super-fast broadband.

The Finch's Arms is now equipped with download speeds of up to 63 Mbps, thanks to a broadband project led by Rutland Telecom and carried out by network builder Gigaclear.

Owner and manager Colin Crawford said the hotel saw a "significant change to our clientele" after advertising the service, with many more businesspeople and executives making reservations.

"They can stay here to hold their meetings and work seamlessly wherever they need to in the world across our wireless network," he explained.

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