Bridge House signs with Grand Heritage
The Bridge House hotel in Dorset has joined the Grand Heritage Hotels marketing consortium following the news that the Virgin Hotel Collection is dissolving its marketing consortium at the end of the year.
The 15-bedroom Bridge House, in Beaminster, has been marketed by Virgin for four years.
Owner Peter Pinkster, who described Virgin's news last month as a "bolt out of the blue," said: "We have joined Grand Heritage Hotels because we need to have a suitable consortium when we leave Virgin at the end of the year."
Six weeks ago Virgin sent a letter signed by managing director Michael Herriot to the seven hotels it owns and the 20 it markets in the UK.
It said it was planning to sell the properties it owns and close its marketing consortium.
Timothy Hadcock-Mackay, development director of Grand Heritage Hotels International, said: "Bridge House joining us fills the need we had identified to expand further in the South-west."
He added: "We know we will get more hotels from Virgin joining us as a result of this hotel taking the first step." Two other Virgin hotels are holding talks with Hadcock-Mackay.
Herriot refused to comment.