Leonardo Hotels has acquired its latest UK site, buying The Bristol Hotel to further broaden its geographical coverage in the country.

For the Leonardo brand, this will be a second property in the city, joining with the existing Leonardo Hotel Bristol City. The property will be rebranded as a Leonardo Royal property, becoming the tenth site in the UK to carry this sub-brand, which represents a premium offering typically in city centre settings. “With its outstanding harbourside location, strong reputation and excellent facilities, Leonardo Royal Hotel Bristol is a fantastic addition to our growing portfolio,” commented Jason Carruthers, who is managing director of Leonardo Hotels UK and Ireland. “This acquisition reflects our continued commitment to investing in high-quality hotels in key destinations and delivering exceptional experiences for both business and leisure guests.”

A Second Hotel in This UK City

The hotel was sold by Irish group the Doyle Collection. Leonardo has planned a rolling refurbishment of the property, and will invest GBP11.5 million to transform public spaces and guest rooms. As well as a bar and restaurant, and fitness centre, the hotel will offer a variety of meeting spaces with capacity for events up to 400 delegates.

Acquisition of the Bristol Hotel is part of a broader growth plan across Europe for Leonardo, backed by parent company Fattal Hotels. In this case, as is similar with many recent acquisitions, Fattal is deploying funds from investment partners, and launching a third partnership. In the last four years, Fattal group companies have been backed to the tune of more than EUR850 million by partners, as it looks to build a substantial footprint across the continent.

At the time of the purchase, Fattal counted a portfolio of 332 hotels, located in more than 140 destinations and adding up to almost 60,000 rooms. Other recent additions to the portfolio include three hotels in Braunschweig, Hanover and Munich, where it took over former Revo Hospitality properties.

The group has also just opened Leonardo Hannover Medical Park, where it combined two properties into a 208 room hotel. Located just opposite the headquarters of hospitality giant TUI, the hotel contains 60 rooms styled in a format that has more than a nod to the TUI Blue hotel brand, ideal for corporate guests from the company.

Leonardo Launches Smart

With a growing portfolio, Leonardo is also looking at creating new additional brands. It recently launched Leonardo Smart Vienna Airport, a property where the Smart sub-brand is being market tested. Another Smart branded property is planned for Berlin shortly.

Further developments are under way across key German cities. In Leipzig, Leonardo’s lifestyle brand NYX will soon be opening up for guests. A 236 room new build, it will be part of the Harmelin Quarter development in the city centre.