Hotel group De Vere could be next on the list of recent public company takeovers, say industry sources.
Rivals Whitbread and Hilton have both been suggested as possible predators of the company, which operates 21 De Vere hotels, 14 Village Leisure hotels and 132 De Vere Lodges.
Although Hilton would not comment on market speculation, it did admit that it was "always looking at what there is out there and whether there was a potential deal to be done".
Recently installed De Vere chief executive Carl Leaver shunned the speculation. "It's the oldest rumour in the hotel industry," he said. "It didn't happen when our share price was at £2.50 and now the share price is up to almost £4."
He added: "But, equally, we will look at every offer very seriously."
The rumours of a takeover arose following the group's pre-close trading update for the 12 months to 28 September. During the period, turnover across the group's De Vere hotels increased by 3%, with sales at its Village hotels rising by almost 12%.