Hilton Group today announced the sale of 15 hotels in the UK, fuelling speculation that the merger with US-based Hilton Hotels Corporation (HHC) is imminent.

Properties including Hilton Aberdeen, Coventry and Southampton have been sold to The Managed Hotels Unit Trust for £382.4m.

However, Alex Pagett, corporate affairs director at Hilton Group, emphasised that the sales were independent of the merger talks. 

“At the moment, we have two scenarios running in parallel. Both are quite separate while our corporate discussions continue,” he said.

But he added: “If our talks with HHC were to be concluded soon, certainly the sales would have an impact further down the line.”

Pagett said that the Hilton Group was experiencing a “sustained peak” in interest in their portfolio, and added that further disposals could occur if “good value could be achieved”.

Hilton plans to place further properties on the market at a value of £400m, including the Hilton London Metropole and the Hilton Birmingham Metropole.  

The hotels involved are:

• Hilton Aberdeen Treetops
• Hilton Basingstoke
• Hilton Bristol
• Hilton Bromsgrove
• Hilton Coventry
• Hilton Dartford Bridge
• Hilton Dunkeld House
• Hilton London Gatwick Airport
• Hilton London Olympia
• Hilton Newbury Centre
• Hilton Newbury North
• Hilton Newport
• Hilton Southampton
• Hilton Strathclyde
• Hilton Swindon

By Jen Crothers

Get your copy of Caterer and Hotelkeeper every week - click here to subscribe and save 25%.