One of Cornwall's most luxurious hotels is set to expand after acquiring a nearby resort.
The Watergate Bay Hotel near Newquay has bought the Sands Resort in Porth, with plans to expand its capacity in the New Year.
The value of the sale has not been disclosed.
The hotel’s owners said they were looking to add 24 new guest lodges to the 11-acre site, which is around a mile-and-a-half away along the North Cornish coast.
First opened in the 1970s as one of the tourism hotspot’s first purpose-built family holiday destinations, the Sands Resort currently offers 72 beds and a three-star hotel close to Newquay and Porth beach.
The resort - which will remain open throughout the planned re-development on site in 2023 - will be operated by The Watergate Bay Hotel’s self-catering holiday brand Beach Retreats.
Its new owners said guests would have access to “high-end leisure facilities”, while there would also be collaboration with local food, drink and entertainment businesses on pop-up and regular events.
Will Ashworth, chief executive of Watergate Bay Hotel, said: “The domestic tourism market is changing. Following the seismic shift of 2020-21, many self-catering holidaymakers want more from their coastal breaks than solitude and similarity – but to date it’s a demand which has not truly been met in this sector.
Mr Ashworth added the business would “look beyond the seasonal holiday market to drive year-round demand”.
The deal comes as Sands Resort founder Nicholas Malcolm retires from the hospitality trade after running the site for almost half a century.
Mr Malcolm said: “Sands is very special to me, the hotel, the team, our guests. Retiring from something that has been such a significant part of my life has been a huge decision but is made easier by the knowledge that Watergate’s vision for the future carries on the legacy of innovation that has been the hallmark of my 45 years at Sands.”
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