Warner Leisure Hotels to grow to 18 properties with £100m investment

Warner Leisure Hotels has acquired two hotels, including its first ever Scottish property, amid an expansion push for the 16-strong hotel group.

It has bought the Dalmahoy Hotel and Country Club near Edinburgh and the Forest of Arden Country Club in Birmingham, which are set to undergo an extensive refurbishment.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed but the company said it was set to spend more than £100m in total on the acquisition and redevelopment of the two hotels.

Bourne Leisure, the parent company of Warner Leisure Hotels, was acquired by the world's biggest private equity firm, Blackstone, in 2021. Blackstone has since invested £450m across the group's holiday parks and hotels, with £120m dedicated to renovating and expanding Warner Leisure's portfolio.

Dalmahoy Hotel and Country Club is a manor house set over 1,000 acres. The hotel features 215 bedrooms, two golf courses, two restaurants, two bars, a leisure club, tennis courts and conference facilities.

The Forest of Arden Country Club is set over 10,000 acres of woodland and features 214 bedrooms, as well as several lounges and bars, two golf courses, tennis courts, a leisure club and conference spaces.

Both hotels will be independently managed until they are relaunched under the Warner Leisure Brand, which is marketed towards adult-only breaks.

Paul Flaum, chief executive of Bourne Leisure, said: "Our confidence in the future growth prospects of the company continues and we look forward to redeveloping the hotels to a high-quality signature Warner Leisure Hotels offering.

"The compelling brand and short break proposition, which includes entertainment, dining and daytime activities at the hotel, mean our guests continue to return to enjoy the unique experience that Warner Leisure Hotels offers. We very much look forward to introducing a whole new audience to the experience too."

Blackstone said the deal marked the next step in the growth of Warner Leisure Hotels and it would continue to look for other "high-quality" properties to add to its portfolio.

Warner Leisure Hotels's portfolio includes the recently refurbished Heythrop Park in the Cotswolds, which opened in September 2022; Studley Castle in Warwickshire, and the recently-acquired Runnymede on Thames in Greater London, which is set to reopen in summer 2024.

Bourne Leisure was founded in 1964 and includes holiday brands Haven and Warner Leisure Hotels.