Celebrity hangout Blakes in South Kensington, SW7, has been put up for sale for £55m.
The 45-bedroom Victorian townhouse hotel on Roland Gardens is considered to have been London’s first boutique hotel.
Opened in 1981, it was designed by interior designer and hotelier Anouska Hempel, who sold it to GuestInvest in 2007 for around £34m.
The current owners of the five star hotel, Apostrophe eatery owner Meir Abutbul and hotelier Navid Mirtorabi, bought Blakes in a £20m rescue deal six years ago following GuestInvest’s collapse in 2008.
Abutbul and Mirtorabi worked closely with Hempel to redevelop the entire hotel, including the bedrooms, restaurants and bar, as well as obtaining planning for a 3,000 sq ft extension.
Blakes now has an annual rent roll of £2.2m and the asking price reflects a yield of 3.97%.
The hotel is being marketed by Knight Frank to a select group, and is expected to attract interest from high-net-worth individuals.
If a sale is agreed, Abutbul and Mirtorabi will continue to operate the hotel, which is let to Blakes Management on a 20-year lease.
New Blakes hotels are planned in Shoreditch, E1, and Grosvenor Square, W1.
Architect Scott Kyson has designed the 87-bedroom Shoreditch hotel, which is awaiting planning permission from Hackney Council.
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