The Queens Hotel becomes The Inn Collection Group’s second venue in the Lake District, and its third acquisition in the past 12 months following the recent purchase of the Waterhead Hotel near Ambleside in September.
A finalist in both the Best Managed Pub Company (2-50 sites) and Best Pub Employer (up to 500 employees) categories at the 2019 Publican Awards, The Inn Collection Group is aiming to expand to 21 sites by 2022 with the help of £10m in funding provided by OakNorth.
Stunning location
The Inn Collection Group’s managing director Sean Donkin said: “We are excited to be bringing the Queens Hotel and its team into The Inn Collection Group family.
“Ambleside is a stunning location with an all-year-round appeal for walkers, outdoors enthusiasts and weekenders.
“We take a great deal of pride in repurposing and enhancing historic buildings and are looking forward to investing in the Queens Hotel to meld with our award-winning eat, drink, sleep and explore philosophy.”
Significant growth
It has also been revealed that property firm Bradley Hall, which acted on behalf of the north-east-based ‘pubs with rooms’ operator, will support The Inn Collection Group in sourcing and acquiring further venues.
Bradley Hall group managing director Neil Hart commented: “We were delighted to act on behalf of The Inn Collection Group during this exciting and important time for the firm.
“We’ve developed a fantastic relationship with Sean and the team, and are extremely proud to have played a small role in this innovative company’s impressive and significant recent growth.
“We look forward to working on future projects with the region’s leading and contemporary pub company as it continues to change the face of the north-east’s hospitality sector.
“This growing organisation is actively looking for further opportunities to acquire additional sites and I encourage any interested parties to contact me.”