New owners for Legionnaires hotel
A Shropshire hotel which went into administration in August after being hit by a legionnaires outbreak in 2017 has been bought.
The new owner, privately owned and managed hotel group Crest Hotels, say they’ll be investing more than £500,000 in the venue.
The 17th Century, 40-bedroom hotel, bought for an undisclosed sum, was forced to close for two months last autumn after an outbreak of Legionnaires disease and the death of a guest.
An inquest into the death of 69-year-old Elaine Brown is due to take place next year.
Jason Hiley, group operations director at Crest Hotels, said: “The Feathers Hotel is packed with history and heritage which we are keen to preserve in the re-opening of the hotel and we look forward to the next few months where we can sensitively refurbish the hotel before the planned relaunch in Spring.
“The hotel will continue to operate as an independent hotel with the support and wealth of experience from the Crest Hotels management team. Pivotal to the purchase is our desire to work with the local community to not only create 30 jobs, with appointments benefiting from our bespoke training and development programme, but to also invest time in supporting the area as a tourist led destination and further boost the local economy.”
Raj Mittal and Steve Stokes, partners at specialist business advisory firm FRP Advisory, were appointed joint administrators of the Feathers Hotel in August, instructing Lambert Smith Hampton and Christie & Co to market the hotel for sale.
Raj Mittal, partner at FRP Advisory, said: “We’re delighted to have concluded the successful sale of the Feathers Hotel in Ludlow. The iconic building is central to travel and tourism in the area and we are pleased that Crest Hotels’ planned investment will secure future employment in the region.”
Hiley added: “We have a lot to do but we are confident that we will be ready to open our doors in the Spring, ahead of what we hope will be a busy period of summer trading for the hotel and for Ludlow. We look forward to showing local residents what we have created and we hope the hotel becomes a central hub for bringing the community together for events and functions, as well as welcoming guests from further afield to show off the facilities and the picturesque market town we are lucky to be based in.”
