A Norfolk-based inn and small hotel operator, which is aiming to develop a chain of 10 across East Anglia during the next few years, has acquired a fourth property.
Arlington Place Hotels was set up eight years ago by former recruitment consultant David Easter and his wife, Deborah, an advertising executive. They were seeking a new but challenging lifestyle away from London.
They most recently bought a long-established country house hotel, called Scarborough Hill, near North Walsham, Norfolk. This was added to their existing inns which are also all in Norfolk.
"The latest purchase accords with our aim of owning 10 properties," David Easter revealed. "Each will be branded with our personal style, with the accent on real' food and genuine warmth."
It was two years ago that Arlington bought the George, an 18th-century coaching inn in the market town of Swaffham. This elegant inn now offers 30 bedrooms and a refurbished restaurant. The company's other two properties are another George in Norwich and the Wroxham Hotel in the Broads.
Although all four current premises are in Norfolk, Arlington is not confining its expansion plans to a single county. It will be looking to neighbouring Suffolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire for possible future purchases.