Boutique hotel group Hand Picked Hotels has signed four Cotswold hotels to add to its portfolio.
The acquisitions have been made in one package, from seller Andrew Brownsword Hotels. They are Buckland Manor, The Slaughters Country Inn, The Slaughters Manor House and Old Swan & Minster Mill. Between them the four established inns have a total of 118 bedrooms, providing luxury accommodation with great restaurants. All four sites will continue to trade under their existing names, with no immediate changes to the offering for guests.
Filling a Gap in the Hand Picked Portfolio
“These hotels are a natural fit, combining the heritage, individuality and quality that our guests value and expect,” said Julia Hands, chair of Hand Picked Hotels. “Their addition complements our existing portfolio while introducing Hand Picked Hotels to new audiences across the UK and internationally.”
The additions take Hand Picked to a portfolio of 21 individual hotels, spread across the UK mainland and the Channel Islands. They come on board as the group strengthens its senior team, ready for the next stage of development and growth. Andrew Stembridge was recently appointed CEO of the group’s Luxury division, joining after 22 years with Iconic Hotels & Resorts.
For Brownsword Hotels, the disposal is a strategic shift, reducing the scale of the portfolio but leaving the business with key landmark properties, as it also seeks to grow its ABode brand.
The Cotswolds is an inland English region with a style all its own, and it continues to be a destination for those seeking rolling English countryside, nature walks and towns full of historic buildings, created from the area’s unique yellow stone. The area has received a boost in recent years from celebrity TV presenter and journalist Jeremy Clarkson, who has documented the real world challenges of operating a rural business, and of growing crops and stewarding livestock.
Among other upcoming developments in the region is Cabu in the Cotswolds, a luxury resort currently being developed near Leafield. The project will repurpose a former indstrial site, once home to a Marconi radio transmission facility. In the works are 51 eco lodges, spread across the woodland site, along with central facilities including a spa, pools, restaurant and event spaces. Cabu in the Cotswolds will open during 2027.
A Region with Tight Planning Rules
Also in the region, Belmond Hotels is extensively remodelling its Manoir aux Quat Saisons, in the Oxfordshire countryside. With a long established reputation for fine dining, led by Raymond Blanc, the hotel is now being redeveloped, adding further rooms in an expansion project due to be completed in autumn 2027.
In Oxford, the largest city in the region, tight planning rules mean limited opportunities to add new hotels. In the city centre, the 36 room Linton Lodge is planning a refurbishment and extension. The hotel will join the BW Signature Collection on completion of the works. Staycity has signed to bring its Wilde aparthotel brand to the city, taking on a development that will transform a former cinema in the city centre. The 145 unit property is expected to open in 2029.
