Second Birch hotel to open in Croydon

De Vere Selsdon Estate in Croydon is set to become the second location for the Birch hotel brand and is due to open next year.

Like the first Birch, which opened in Hertfordshire in 2020 on the former De Vere Theobalds Estate hotel in Cheshunt, the hotel will be a joint venture between real estate investment company Aprirose and Birch Hospitality.

The 200-acre parkland estate has a 150-room hotel, a 17th century traditional brick mansion, with meeting and conference facilities, a range of dining amenities, a leisure centre, tennis courts, running trail, and a recently closed golf course.

The hotel and grounds are undergoing a significant renovation ahead of the relaunch.

Manish Gudka, chief executive of Aprirose, said: "Hospitality and hotels continues to be an important mainstay of our real estate portfolio, partnering with several high-profile brands such as Delta Hotels by Marriott, DoubleTree by Hilton and the QHotels portfolio. Aprirose is proud to have backed the first Birch, which was subsequently named as Sunday Times Hotel of the Year in 2020. We look forward to the launch of the second Birch next year, as well as subsequent openings in the coming years."

The Birch lifestyle hotel brand was created by former managing director of the Ace Hotel London Chris Penn and entrepreneur Chris King.