It is certainly a bold pledge.
And if his aim was to be talked about, well, he’s certainly achieved that.
Today, Keane Duncan, the Conservative candidate to be mayor of York and North Yorkshire, said if he was elected he would buy Scarborough’s Grand Hotel and restore it.
The Grand is owned by Britannia, and only has a 2.5 rating on TripAdvisor, which lists it at number 25 out of 26 hotels in Scarborough.
Mr Duncan said: “Once a symbol of the town’s prestige, The Grand today stands tall above the seafront as the shame of Scarborough.
“It’s holding back the town’s potential and damaging its prospects. This is a situation that cannot be allowed to continue.
“So I’m ready to take bold action. I’ll buy the hotel, using new mayoral powers and funding to wrestle the hotel from Britannia’s hands.
“I’ll ensure The Grand is grand once again, restore it so it’s a building we can be proud of.
“It will herald a new era for the whole town, restoring pride, kick-starting wider regeneration and returning Scarborough to its glory days.”
The hotel is not currently up for sale. Mr Duncan says he will “wrestle the hotel from Britannia’s hands, negotiate a sale, and use compulsory purchase if required”.
Britannia hasn’t yet responded to a request for a comment.
Plenty of other people have responded however. His video has had 400K+ views, and attracted 400 comments, many of them sceptical.
One asks: “Why are the conservatives promoting socialism?”
Another said: “Are you mad? Have you been inside? This will cost millions you don’t have.”
“Wow ! Please can We get the pot holes done first in York?” asked another voter.
Others were more enthusiastic. “Huge commitment to bettering an often-forgotten coastal town. Excellent news.”
YorkMix has asked Mr Keane about how much he is proposing to spend on the Grand, and a number of other questions, and will report back when he responds.
What the other candidates say
Felicity Cunliffe-Lister, the Liberal Democrat candidate, said: “As a hotelier myself I can’t see any sense in this.
“Keane Duncan has just blown his annual budget in free car parking, and now he’s going to run a hotel?
“Without doubt Scarborough needs investment, but this isn’t the way to generate growth and create high-skilled jobs. With my tourism strategy, I will work with business, not against it.”
Independent candidate Keith Tordoff said: “I think it is typical Conservative promises before an election which will never be delivered in real terms.
“I think Mr Duncan has already spent the £18m budget that the mayor gets in the first year on the various projects he’s promised.
“The mayor should work with the owners to make sure that it actually raises the standards so that it attracts tourism for Scarborough, which the town needs.”
Labour candidate David Skaith said: “We have a finite amount of money – we will get more money over time, we’ll bring more investment in with a Labour government – but we have to be sensible and make it go a long way.”