De Vere returns to The Belfry following KSL Capital Partners acquisition
De Vere, which owned and operated the 324-bedroom hotel before it was sold to The Quinn Group in 2005, was appointed by KSL Capital Partners to run the hotel, known as 'the spiritual home' of golfing tournament The Ryder Cup after the deal was completed on Friday.
De Vere Group chief executive Andrew Coppel said the company was 'delighted' to be back at the Belfry and was looking forward to re-establishing the hotel's status as a top golf resort.
He said: "De Vere and The Belfry have a proud history together and share a golfing heritage. The De Vere name became synonymous with the game after hosting the 1985 Ryder Cup at The Belfry which the Group then owned: the year Tony Jacklin’s European team ended the USA’s 28 year winning streak!"
Renovation
KSL Capital Partners, who bought the golf resort for an undisclosed sum through Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels, plan to completely renovate the hotel's bedrooms, public areas, its seven bars and restaurants, spa and meeting spaces over the next few months. The resort will remain open during renovations.
The firm, which specialises in travel and leisure businesses, owns a number of golf resorts in the US, but until now has not stepped foot in Europe.
Richard Weissmann, one of KSL’s partners, said: “Given KSL’s experience owning and operating large scale golf and spa resorts across the United States, The Belfry is the perfect opportunity for our first resort investment in Europe. We believe De Vere’s familiarity with today’s European travellers combined with our planned renovations will provide guests of The Belfry a new level of luxury, service and amenities.”
George Nicholas, executive vice president, Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels, added: "The sale is a vote of confidence by KSL Capital Partners in to the UK and bolsters the sentiment in the UK lodging sector as evidenced by £1.123 billion in hotel property sales year to date 2012, representing growth of 12 per cent over the same period last year with the majority of investment coming from offshore."
The Belfry Resort, which boasts The Brabazon golf course, is spread across 550 acres in Wishaw, Sutton Coldfield. It last hosted the Ryder Cup in 2002.
