Mergers & Acquisitions

🏨 A&O Hostels has acquired two hotels in Manchester's city center for an undisclosed amount. The properties, totaling 13,000 sq m, were formerly operated as ibis and Novotel hotels. A&O plans an £8.2m refurbishment to create a 1,218-bed hostel with 303 rooms by early 2027. The expansion is part of a €500m (£434m) investment in major European cities, adding around 8,500 beds in the past two years. Manchester attracts 1.9 million visitors annually.

💸 Walker & Dunlop, Inc. secured a $112.5 million loan to refinance Ace Hotel Brooklyn at 252 Schermerhorn Street, featuring 287 guestrooms over 154,947 square feet. The refinancing, arranged for GFI Capital Resources Group, Inc. and Spruce Capital Partners, retires existing debts. New York City, facing regulatory barriers, expects over 64 million visitors by 2025. The hotel offers eateries, event spaces, and retail, underscoring NYC's hospitality growth. Walker & Dunlop's Capital Markets team sourced over $16 billion in 2024.

🏨 Marcus & Millichap brokered the sale of a 60-room Super 8 by Wyndham hotel in Spearfish, South Dakota, for $2.4 million. The hotel's strategic location off Interstate 90, near attractions like Spearfish Canyon and Mount Rushmore, offers a year-round tourism appeal. Built in 1977, the property will undergo rebranding and operational improvements to enhance value. Jon Ruzicka, Joseph Ferguson, and Reed Gizinski, from Marcus & Millichap’s Minneapolis office, managed the transaction.

🏨 Fontenille Collection, founded in 2016 by Frederic Biousse and Guillaume Foucher, owns 12 boutique hotels in France, Italy, and Spain. The company produces 300,000 wine bottles annually and is expanding into Brittany, Burgundy, and the Alps. LVMH acquired a 23% stake four months ago. The first hotel cost €20M. Fontenille targets offering affordable luxury (€400-800/night) and relies heavily on direct bookings, with 80% of sales direct. Their strategy emphasizes heritage, community, and experiential luxury.

🏠 Woodlands Guest House and Glenburn Hotel, located in the Lake District, are for sale at £2.75 million. The properties, combined into a 30-bedroom guest house four years ago, include two self-contained cottages. They're a 10-minute walk from Lake Windermere and five minutes from the railway station. Managed by Christie and Co, the sale represents a rare opportunity due to the property's size, attracting both domestic and international guests year-round.

📍 The Sehgal family acquired Crowne Plaza London Ealing, a 139-room hotel, through their investment vehicle, Rivalminster. Situated at Hanger Lane Gyratory, it offers a restaurant, bar, gym, and conference facilities. Saachi Sehgal led the purchase from Westmont Hospitality. Rivalminster plans to modernize the property while maintaining its IHG franchise. This acquisition strengthens their London portfolio, which includes The Leonard Hotel, owned for 22 years.

📍 Hull, December 2025: A purpose-built hotel, currently leased to Accor UK Economy Hotels and operating as an Ibis, is up for sale at £7.5 million. The hotel comprises 106 rooms over four floors, with a lobby, bar, and dining room on the ground floor. The location near the A63 and M62 offers easy access. Savills Manchester's Tom Cunningham highlights it as a prime investment opportunity in Hull, appealing to both business and leisure visitors.

📊 2025 was a year of change for Surf Office, with 20% revenue growth despite market challenges. The company pivoted to organizing retreats in Central America, Europe, or Asia for US clients. Pingotel and other tools were launched, while Buy That Hotel aims to deploy over 1 billion € in 2026. The focus is shifting towards authentic marketing and IRL meetups. The author balanced work and travel in New Zealand, Italy, and Slovakia.

🏟 Plans for a Universal-branded theme park and resort in Bedford have received planning permission from the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government. It will be Europe's first Universal-branded theme park, potentially generating up to £50 billion for the UK economy. The project will create around 20,000 construction jobs and 8,000 permanent roles. Transport improvements include the expansion of Wixams railway station and new slip roads to the A421. Further steps involve a statutory parliamentary review.

🏨 Apex Hotels Ltd reported a 21% revenue increase for the year ending 30 April 2025, fueled by acquisitions and enhanced trading. Operating profit rose by 4% to £13.6m, despite weaker winter trading for recent acquisitions. They acquired The Vineyard Hotel in Berkshire and DoubleTree by Hilton Dunblane Hydro, rebranded as Apex Dunblane Hydro. Investments were made in Pine Trees Hotel, Pitlochry, and Apex Waterloo Place, Edinburgh. Chairman Ian Springford highlighted pivotal portfolio reshaping and future growth plans.