Stoke Park sold to Indian billionaire for £57m

Reliance Industrial Investments and Holdings (RIIHL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Reliance Industries, has acquired Stoke Park in Buckinghamshire for £57m.

The group, led by Indian billionaire businessman Mukesh Ambani, already has investments in Oberoi Hotels and is developing a convention centre, hotel and managed residences in Mumbai. Ambani also owns renowned London toy store Hamleys.

The 49-bedroom hotel was placed on the market in 2018 by International Group after owners the King family decided to focus on other business interests.

The King family reopened Stoke Park as a hotel in 1998 after a five-year refurbishment programme. The mansion house at the centre of the 300-acre estate, designed by Capability Brown and Humphry Repton, was initially built as a private home by George III's architect James Wyatt between 1790 and 1813. Two James Bond movies, Goldfinger and Tomorrow Never Dies, were filmed at Stoke Park, as well as the famous 'mini break' and rowing scenes from Bridget Jones's Diary.

Today the estate features three restaurants and bars, with the three-AA-rosette Humphry's restaurant headed by executive chef Chris Wheeler, winner of the 2016 Hotel Chef of the Year (more than 250 covers) Hotel Catey.

Extensive leisure facilities include a 27-hole golf course, tennis courts and an indoor swimming pool. The hotel also hosts the Boodles, an annual tennis tournament held in the run up to Wimbledon.

Mayer Brown International and Khaitan & Co acted as legal counsels for the transaction, and Ernst & Young UK advised on financial and tax matters.