US investor to open first hotel in Britain

American property investor Rick Hvizdak has moved into the hotel business with the purchase of Wood Norton Hall near Evesham in Worcestershire.

Hvizdak's US investments include the Olde Stone golf and country club in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he is based, but Wood Norton will be his first hotel.

It sold for slightly less than the £7.5m asked by agent Christie & Co on behalf of BBC Resources, which bought the property as an emergency war base in 1939. The BBC has kept a training and conference centre next door, which will use Wood Norton for accommodation.

The hotel, set in 25 acres of countryside, comprises 45 four-star bedrooms plus separate blocks of 247 three-star bedrooms attached to another conference centre separate to the BBC building. This has seven main rooms accommodating as many as 100, and 15 smaller rooms.

General manager Des Hynes said that Hvizdak intended to buy more hotels and conference centres in the UK, but would first improve Wood Norton. One plan is to open up the standalone leisure club - which includes squash, badminton and tennis courts - to non-residents.

by Angela Frewin

Source: Caterer & Hotelkeeper, 13-19 June 2002