Activities
QHotels is the owner and operator of four-star city centre and country house hotels that service both the leisure and the business sectors. Its modus operandi is to buy properties in need of development and investment and restore them to their former glory.
The company started life as Quintessential Hotels. It was founded by the management team behind the Paramount Group of Hotels which was set up in 1994 by Michael Purtill and Ian Goulding. Both companies were backed by venture capitalist Alchemy Partners, which owned 87% of Paramount and currently holds an 87% stake in QHotels.
QHotels traded under the umbrella management of Paramount until Alchemy Partners sold Paramount in mid-2004 to Dawnay Shore Hotels.
The group's health and leisure clubs operate under the Reflections name that it acquired in late 2006 with the acquisition of Marston Hotels.
Timeline
- March 2003: Quintessential Hotels is set up by senior management of Paramount Hotels with backing from Alchemy Partners.
- April 2003: Quintessential buys two four-star hotels from Le Méridien for around £6m.They are the historic Queens hotel in Leeds and the Le Méridien Warwick, a country house hotel near Coventry, which has reverted to its original name of Chesford Grange.
- October 2003: Paramount is put on the market for around £250m.
- February 2004: Paramount buys the historic Midland hotel in Manchester for £36m and adds it to the Quintessential estate.
- July 2004: Dawnay Shore Hotels buys the 13-strong Paramount group for £215m. Although Quintessential continues to manage the Paramount hotels for a short while, the arrangement is terminated due to perceived conflicts of interest.
- April 2005: Quintessential buys the 104-bedroom Norton Manor conference centre near Winchester for £8.75m. It announces a £7.5m project to convert the property from a management training centre into a full-service, four-star hotel
- May 2005: Quintessential buys the Hanover International hotel in Warrington, Cheshire, for £23.5m and reinstates its original name, the Park Royal.
- June 2005: Quintessential changes its name to QHotels and outlines its £40m refurbishment programme. It also buys its sixth hotel and first golf resort, the 114-bedroom Forest Pines Golf and Country Club in North Lincolnshire, for an undisclosed sum.
- January 2006: QHotels buys the 120-bedroom Cheltenham and Gloucester Moat House hotel for an estimated £19m. It announces plans to invest £3.5m to upgrade the renamed Cheltenham Chase hotel into a four-star deluxe property.
- February 2006: Qhotels makes its first move into the Scottish market with the acquisition (for an estimated £15m) of the 100-bedroom Westerwood hotel in Cumbernauld, which is to benefit from a £5m refurbishment.
- July 2006: The group buys its ninth hotel, the 177-bedroom Ashford International hotel in Kent for an estimated £13m and announces plans to invest £5m in refurbishing the property.
- November 2006: Qhotels buys the 12-strong Marston Hotels (LINK) group for £180m, boosting its hotel portfolio to 21 properties. The acquisition includes Marston's Reflections health and leisure brand.
- November 2006: The group snaps up the 96-bedroom Telford Golf and Country Club hotel in Shropshire - a former Swallow hotel - for an undisclosed sum and announces plans for a £5m refurbishment.
Operating data
Number of hotels: 22
Ashford International, Kent
Aldwark Manor, York, North Yorkshire
Bridgewood Manor, Chatham, Kent
Cambridge Belfry, Cambridgeshire
Cheltenham Chase hotel, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
Chesford Grange, Warwickshire
Crewe Hall, Cheshire
Forest Pines hote, North Lincolnshire
Hampshire Court, Basingstoke, Hampshire
Hellidon Lakes, Daventry, Northamptonshire
Hythe Imperial, Kent
Midland Hotel, Manchester
Norton Park hotel, Winchester, Hampshire
Nottingham Belfry, Nottinghamshire
Oxford Belfry, Oxfordshire
Park Royal Hotel, New Warrington, Cheshire
Queens Hotel, Leeds
Stratford Manor, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire
Stratford Victoria, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire
Tankersley Manor, Barnsley, South Yorkshire
Telford Golf & Country Club, Shropshire
Westerwood Hotel, near Glasgow
Strategy
“QHotels offer a prestigious selection of highly individual properties throughout the UK. We pride ourselves on investing in elegant, beautiful and sometimes historic hotels and their staff – but we're not afraid to add something with a contemporary twist if it will enhance your experience with us.”
Source: company website
Key directors
Managing director and founder: Michael Purtill
Finance director: Ian Goulding
Sales director: David Taylor
Marketing director: Liz Howe
Chairman: Martin Bolland (from Alchemy Partners)
Wellington House
Cliffe Park
Bruntcliffe Road
Morley
Leeds LS27 0RY
Tel: 0113 289 8989
Fax: 0113 289 8955
E-mail: stay@qhotels.co.uk
Website: http://www.qhotels.co.uk
