Speculation is growing that Whitbread will announce on Monday that it is to sell off all of its four- and five-star properties. The company has refused to deny that a deal is on the cards.

Industry insiders had predicted that Whitbread would sell half of its £1.1b Marriott-branded bricks-and-mortar assets in a sale-and-manage-back deal.

But a report in The Times today forecast that Whitbread might sell off the entire four- and five-star Marriott stock base outright – possibly to De Vere hotels – and return the funds to shareholders.

A statement from Whitbread said: “The company confirms that it is currently in discussions which may or may not lead to the disposal of some or all of these hotel assets.”

by Emily Manson

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