Warner Leisure looks to expand hotel portfolio
Warner Leisure is looking to buy several more hotels following the opening this year of Studley Castle in Warwickshire and its acquisition at the end of 2018 of Heythrop Park in the Cotswolds.
The adult-only brand, which currently owns 15 properties, is looking at adding more 200-plus room hotels in areas of the UK where it doesn’t yet have a presence.
Managing director Simon Thompson said regions of interest include the southeast of England, specifically Kent, and the Lake District.
"There is a big demand for our adult-only hotels but our guests don’t want to travel for more than an hour so we need to offer more locations," said Thompson.
"There are lots of areas in the UK where our guests say they would love to have a Warner, and with just 15 hotels at the moment we are a long way from reaching our limit."
While the company had originally hoped to re-open the 300-room Heythrop Park, which it bought last December, as a Warner Leisure hotel in 2020, Thompson said this would be delayed due to the extensive planning process. "It is currently trading successfully as a conference hotel but it requires quite a lot of planning to turn it into a Warner so it won’t be ready within two years," he added.
In addition to spending £50 million transforming the historic Studley Castle (above) near Stratford-upon-Avon into a 209-room luxury hotel, including an entertainment space, two restaurants, a luxury spa and a shooting range, Warner has also invested significantly in its other hotels over the past few years, including adding 100 rooms at Alvaston Hall in Cheshire.
"We have big ambitions to grow," added Thompson, "the 55-plus demographic is growing; staycations are clearly growing, people don’t want to travel for a day and a half or go to an airport for a mini-break, and we need to expand to give this market more options."
Read our review of Warner Leisure’s new flagship hotel, Studley Castle.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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