The company behind The Zetter Hotel has been acquired (imagery: © Darren Chung)

Specialist hospitality investor Orca Holding has bought The Zetter Group, the company behind several boutique hotels across London, paving the way for new sites to be rolled out across the UK and internationally.

Following its acquisition of The Zetter Group, Orca Holding now intends to develop and grow the Zetter Townhouse hotel brand. We find out what plans have been revealed so far.

Orca Holding makes a splash with latest acquisition

The Zetter Group’s owners, Mark Sainsbury and Michael Benyan, have sold the company they founded 18 years ago to Orca Holding, the specialist hospitality investor owned by Laith Pharaon.

The sale of The Zetter Group includes London’s original eco-hotel, The Zetter Hotel, along with the Zetter Townhouses. Orca Holding plans to retain and grow the Zetter Townhouse brand, and is actively looking to launch more properties in London, cities across the UK and key European gateway cities including Paris, Madrid and Amsterdam.

“We see huge growth and development potential in The Zetter Group,” said Pharaon, CEO of Orca Holding. “This has been a difficult year for most hotels but the properties were previously achieving great success in their respective segments. This acquisition presents an opportunity for more strategic expansion of The Zetter brand and will benefit from Orca Holding’s global hotel development experience.”

A vibrant hotel concept

The Zetter Hotel first opened in Clerkenwell in 2004 and is widely regarded as London’s first boutique hotel built using environmental principles.

This hotel was then joined by The Zetter Townhouse Clerkenwell in 2011, which, as a departure from the previous hotel concept, was designed to feel like ‘the private home of an eccentric great aunt’. This hotel houses a cocktail bar that was named the Best Hotel Bar in the World the year it opened.

The Clerkenwell site was subsequently followed in 2015 by the opening of the 24-key The Zetter Townhouse Marylebone.

“We are extremely proud of the culture of The Zetter Group, the unique hospitality brands we created and the impact they had on London’s vibrant hotel, restaurant and cocktail scene,” said Benyan, partner of Urban Hotels. “The fact that Orca Holding are passionate about The Zetter brand, and have such exciting plans for its future, is great news for all involved, and we wish them every success.”

Orca Holding has a number of real-estate investments across the globe representing a portfolio of first-class luxury hotels, resorts and related residential developments. The company believes in focusing on markets where it can have an impact on a city or region’s hospitality, culture and economy. Current investments include Amari Havodda in the Maldives and trailblazing Soho House projects in Spain.

The Zetter Group was advised by Savills on the transaction. Siggis Capital has been appointed to asset-manage the group.

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