Growing hospitality company The Inn Collection Group has added to its portfolio on the North West coast with a Morecambe acquisition.
The Newcastle pubs-with-rooms operator has snapped up the Midland Hotel in the seaside town, a well known art deco building acquired from previous owners, the Clitheroe-based charity, Lancaster Foundation. The Midland marks the firm’s third acquisition in Lancashire, joining The Lindum and The Carlton in Lytham St Annes, which are currently undergoing renovations to convert the properties into a single, 99-room site.
It is also the group’s fourth acquisition since the start of October, following the completion of deals to take over properties in North Wales – The Bull in Beaumaris and the St Kilda Hotel in Llandudno – as well as the purchase of The Wordsworth Hotel in Grasmere.Sean Donkin, managing director of The Inn Collection Group said: “We are delighted to bring The Midland into the group and bring in an establishment that is held in such high regard. It is a site that has a unique positioning with loyal fans worldwide and it is exciting to become its custodian.
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“We are very keen to retain what is special about The Midland and see it very much as a protection project, looking after the fabric of the building and ensuring that it continues to occupy a prominent place not just in its physical location, but in peoples’ hearts for many years to come. Overlooking the bay and the sunsets with the Lakeland fells as the backdrop are something that I love and I’m looking forward to seeing many more people enjoy them too.”
The Grade II listed property was built in 1933 by the London Midland & Scottish Railway and was designed by architect Oliver Hill to compliment the curve of the promenade on Morecambe Bay. The hotel also had starring roles in the 1960 film The Entertainer, starring Laurence Olivier, and the 1990’s ITV adaptations of Agatha Christie’s Poirot, starring David Suchet.
Edward Hunter of Edinburgh-based commercial law firm Burness Paull provided legal advice on the transaction, while Neil Hart at Newcastle’s Bradley Hall advised on pre-acquisition diligence.
Mr Hart, group CEO of Bradley Hall said: “We are delighted to continue to work with established hospitality companies such as The Inn Collection Group on the latest addition to their ever-growing hotel and leisure portfolio. Being able to work with firms that care about ambitious growth while also ensuring to create jobs, and to protect the jobs of those already at the businesses acquired is a real feat that the firm can be proud of.
“We are always proud to support a firm that is dedicated to providing outstanding hospitality venues all over the country and The Midland Hotel in Lancashire will no doubt be the same.”
The Inn Collection Group now has 35 sites across the North of England and North Wales, while the sale allows the Lancaster Foundation to reinvest and grow its funding to support the needs of the charitable projects it supports across the UK and Africa.
Chris Richardson, development director of Lancaster Foundation added: “We are very pleased with the outcome of this sale. The charity will continue to grow its funding to support the increasing needs of the charities that we support.”
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