The Arora Group has bought the five-star Luton Hoo Hotel, Golf & Spa from Elite Hotels for an undisclosed sum.
The 1,000-acre Bedfordshire-based estate was bought by Elite Hotels in 1999 after its previous owners had gone bankrupt and left the Grade I listed mansion – which was built for the Earl of Bute in the 1850s – to fall into disrepair. The hotel, which offers 228 guest rooms, opened in 2008 after a £60m investment, which included the opening of an 18-hole golf course.
Originally known as a specialist airport hotel owner operator, the Arora Group established its first city centre hotel in 2017 with the opening of the InterContinental London – The O2 and most recently has diversified further into the country house hotel market with the opening of Fairmont Windsor Park. The purchase of Luton Hoo Hotel, Golf and Spa continues the journey of portfolio diversification, and the hotel is well positioned to capture the significant pent-up demand from leisure and corporate travel from domestic and international markets.
Surinder Arora, CEO and chairman of the Arora Group, commented: “Our acquisition of Luton Hoo Hotel, Golf and Spa continues to support our strategy to diversify our hotel portfolio and we are excited to build on the already significant investment and development by Elite Hotels since their purchase of the estate in 1999. We are excited to welcome the Luton Hoo Hotel, Golf & Spa team to the Arora Group and are looking forward to the opportunities ahead for our expanded family.”
Graeme Bateman, Managing Director of Elite Hotels, commented: “Naturally, we are sad to be parting company with Luton Hoo Hotel, but we do so in the knowledge that we have passed the custodianship of this wonderful property into safe hands. We wish Surinder Arora and his team every success as they move Luton Hoo Hotel into a new era. May I also take this opportunity to express my huge gratitude to Matthew Long, General Manager, and all his colleagues at Luton Hoo Hotel, for their considerable personal commitment over the past 14-plus years. We will miss them greatly within the Elite family but are sure that they will continue to thrive and prosper under the new ownership.
“Elite Hotels remains fully committed to ensuring an even brighter future for Ashdown Park Hotel, Tylney Hall Hotel and The Grand Hotel, Eastbourne. Details of our exciting plans will be announced in due course.”
