Bentley is back in the frame for Kempinski deal

German hotel group Kempinski may finally get its first property in London - on the same site it had to pull out of four years ago.

The group is understood to have signed a deal with the Bentley hotel in London's South Kensington.

The Bentley, which opened last autumn and is owned and operated by the Sanger family, is said to have formed a marketing alliance with the German hotel giant.

Neither Kempinski nor the Bentley would confirm that a deal had taken place, although insiders said an agreement had been signed last week.

A spokeswoman for the hotel said: "There is absolutely no contract. No deal has been struck."

The hotel, in Harrington Gardens, was all set to become Kempinski's first London property, with an opening planned for Christmas 1999. But after months of delay, the group pulled out of the deal in July 2000 when the developer insisted on an exclusivity clause that would have prevented Kempinski from opening any other hotels in London.

Source: Caterer & Hotelkeeper magazine, 22 July 2004