Cheltenham Park hotel to rebrand as a DoubleTree by Hilton

The Cheltenham Park hotel is set to become a DoubleTree by Hilton following a £4.5m refurbishment.

From March 2017 the hotel will trade as DoubleTree by Hilton Cheltenham, and will continue to operate under the management of M&T Hotel Management, the hotel management and advisory company run by Sir David Michels and Hugh Taylor.

Michels acquired the four-AA-star, 152-bedroom property in September 2015 off a guide price of £8m. It was the first hotel to be bought by the former chief executive of Hilton following his announcement in 2014 that he was launching a £200m fund to target hotel investments in the UK and mainland Europe.

The Cheltenham Park hotel was previously operated within the Hotel Collection owned by Lone Star Funds.

All bedrooms have been refurbished, and three new suites have been added. The hotel will feature 520 square metres of refurbished event space, including the Park Suite, which caters for up to 320 guests, and the public bars and Lilley Brook lounge will undergo a complete transformation in the new year. The hotel will also open a Starbucks in the lounge, which will be operated by the hotel and be open to both guests and residents.

Michel said: "Having a well-known brand on the door along with the recent investment programme will deliver an exceptional hotel to Cheltenham. It is an exciting time for the property and all involved and we are looking forward to bringing the DoubleTree by Hilton brand to the town."

General manager of the hotel, Syed Zaidi, said: "The transformation of this much loved hotel into DoubleTree by Hilton Cheltenham marks a new chapter for this Grade II-listed property. We are thrilled to be nearing the end of our exciting multi-million pound refurbishment and the hotel team are really looking forward to working with one of the world's leading hospitality brands."

Patrick Fitzgibbon, senior vice president of development, EMEA, Hilton, said: "DoubleTree by Hilton has added more than 30 hotels since its introduction to the UK market. The brand has been particularly successful in conversions of heritage properties, including DoubleTree by Hilton Liverpool, DoubleTree by Hilton London Kensington and now this spectacular addition in Cheltenham. We're thrilled to have Sir David Michels join as an owner and look forward to continuing our relationship with him on the hotel."

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