Stapleford Park hotel to be upgraded following takeover

Stapleford Park hotel in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, has been sold to two Middle Eastern businessmen for a rumoured £12m.

The former owner of Barbados-based Elegant Hotels, Andrew Parker, has sold his 85% majority stake in the country house hotel to the unknown investors, who already hold minor stakes in the business.

Following their takeover, the new majority shareholders plan to give the hotel a five-star status and bring it in line with the likes of the Ritz hotel in London and Hotel de Crillion in Paris.

General manager Yves Wencker confirmed the sale and said the new majority owners wanted to raise the profile of the property to make it one of the leading hotels of the world.

Stapleford Park will now undergo an extensive refurbishment of its bedrooms and gardens and will also add several new staff members to its team.

Parker, along with chartered accountant Renold Tang and several overseas financial backers, bought the hotel for an undisclosed sum in 2001 from Bovey Castle owner Peter de Savary.

The stately home was first converted to a hotel in the mid-1980s after restaurateur Bob Peyton bought it from Lady Greton.