Israel’s Fattal Group has bought the five-star Grand Hotel in Brighton from the billionaire Weston family’s Wittington Investments arm.
The 201-bedroom hotel was acquired by the group, which owns Leonardo Hotels UK and Ireland, for up to a reported £60m.
Fattal said it plans to make a “significant” investment in refurbishing the hotel’s rooms and facilities, and that it is committed to retaining the hotel’s “iconic status and title”.
The seven-floor hotel includes seaside-facing balcony bedrooms and luxury suites, restaurant, bar and a dedicated meeting and banqueting space, providing in excess of 12,900 sq ft across 13 rooms.
Fattal said the acquisition positions the group as Brighton’s largest operator. The group already operates two hotels in the city: the Leonardo Brighton Hotel, and the Leonardo Royal Brighton Waterfront.
The news comes after the group bought the Dilly hotel on Piccadilly, W1, which it will spend £90m on refurbishing.
The Dilly and Grand Hotel acquisitions were undertaken through Fattal’s €400m (£355m) fund, raised in partnership with a number of institutional investors.
Jason Carruthers, managing director of Leonardo Hotels UK & Ireland, said the group has followed up its “acquisition of the Dilly by adding another historic and iconic hotel to [its] growing portfolio of luxury hotels”.
He added: “It is a consistently high-performing hotel, situated in a key strategic location with highly dedicated employees, meaning it is an ideal fit to our broader portfolio.”
First opened in 1864, the Grand Brighton occupies a prime location on the seafront with views over the English Channel. The Grand previously underwent a major renovation project, completed in 2019, which involved restoring its Victorian façade and original design features.
Leonardo Hotels operates 52 hotels across the UK and Ireland. It also previously operated the Jurys Inn brand, which has since rebranded as Leonardo. Parent group Fattal owns and runs more than 200 hotels in over 100 destinations. In Europe, it has more than 150 hotels in 86 cities and 14 countries.
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