The Dorchester Collection is to convert a manor house in Ascot into a country house hotel as part of expansion plans in the UK and North America.
The group, which owns The Dorchester in London (pictured), will open Coworth Park, a 69-bedroom hotel and spa bordering Surrey’s Windsor Great Park, in 2010.
Christopher Cowdray, chief executive of The Dorchester Collection said the move was part of the company`s ambitious plans for growth.
“We are targeting 15 hotels in key North American and European cities in the next 5-10 years and we are delighted to be able to strengthen our UK portfolio with the addition of a country house hotel so close to the centre of London,” he said.
Coworth Park will stand within 200 acres of parkland and will include an equestrian centre with stabling for up to 40 horses and two polo fields. It will house a fine dining restaurant and casual restaurant with an open air terrace.
The hotel will be built using green initiatives. An underground Energy Centre will house a bio mass boiler fuelled by burning willow that will be grown on the estate and a cooling system will be provided for by underground pipes carrying ground source water.
The hotel will open in the same year as 45 Park Lane, The Dorchester Collection`s latest London hotel housed in the former London Playboy Club.
Other hotels owned by The Dorchester Collection include Le Meurice and Hotel Plaza Athenee in Paris, The Beverly Hills Hotel in Beverly Hills and The New York Palace in New York.