Von Essen eyes the Lygon Arms

Von Essen Hotels, the privately owned country house hotel group that bought Cliveden last year, is a potential buyer for the Lygon Arms in Broadway, Worcestershire, part of the Savoy Group.

The group is understood to be in talks with Blackstone, owner of the Savoy Group, which acquired the Savoy Group in 1998.

Nicholas Romano, operations director of Von Essen, confirmed that the company is looking to spend about £25m on a property in the Cotswolds but declined to comment further.

The company is on a spending spree, with plans to double its number of country house hotels in the next two years. It is also close to agreeing a deal with a prestigious hotel in Scotland. The group has been looking at a number of other properties, including two in the Lake District.

Last year Von Essen invested £50m in Cliveden and its sister hotel, the Royal Crescent in Bath.