Blackstone acquires 33-strong hotel group
Blackstone Real Estate has completed the acquisition of Village Hotels, a hotel owner, operator, and developer, from KSL Capital Partners.
Village Hotels owns and operates 33 assets in large regional cities and suburban areas across the UK. The business operates as an “all under one roof” leisure destination, offering full-service hotel stays, fitness clubs, food and beverage outlets, and co-working spaces.
This range of amenities has seen Village Hotels acquire a customer base which includes domestic business travellers, tourists, large groups, and local visitors.
Village Hotels CEO Gary Davis said the business sees “great opportunities to expand the number of hotels” with Blackstone.
James Seppala, head of real estate Europe at Blackstone, said: “We are delighted to add Village Hotels, a standout hospitality brand with a unique business model, to our real estate portfolio. We see great potential in lodging and leisure as a sector, especially where we can support strongly positioned businesses that deliver exceptional experiences to their customers. We look forward to partnering with Village Hotels’ seasoned management team and support them as it embarks on its next stage of growth.”
Jens Blomdahl, principal at KSL Capital Partners, added: “We are pleased to have partnered with the Village Hotels team to build out a comprehensive hospitality offering and expand their high-quality portfolio — including the addition of more than 1,200 rooms and 45,000 fitness members. We look forward to following Village Hotels’ continued success in this new chapter as part of the Blackstone portfolio.”
Blackstone said it is a “long-term believer” in the UK leisure sector. In 2021, the firm acquired Bourne Leisure, a UK holiday company and the owner of Haven Holiday Parks and Warner Hotels. Since acquisition, Blackstone has invested over £550 million across both brands for site and entertainment upgrades and expansions.