Singaporean entrepreneur buys St John hotel out of administration
Singaporean hotelier and restaurateur Loh Lik Peng's Unlisted Collection has bought the 15-room St John Hotel, after it fell into administration in October.
St John Hotel, founded by chef Fergus Henderson and restaurateur Trevor Gulliver, called in administrators RSM Tenon just days after the restaurant earned its first Michelin star. It is understood that head chef Tom Harris will remain at the business.
It opened in April 2011, months behind schedule after the duo ran into difficulties with the rebuild of the property. "Ouch, it was a long and tough road, a difficult project with construction, design and economic issues," Henderson and Gulliver said on the St John Hotel website.
Peng, founder and managing director of Unlisted Collection, who studied law at Sheffield University and London, paid an undisclosed sum for the business. He already owns the Wanderlust and New Majestic hotels in Singapore, the Waterhouse at South Bund in Shanghai, and Town Hall hotel & apartments in London, which includes Nuno Mendes' restaurant Viajante. He also holds a 25% stake in Jason Atherton's company JC Tapas, which operates his Asian restaurants.
Peng said: "Unlisted Collection is a list of properties that are out of the norm. The hotels are set within sensitively restored heritage listed buildings that are re-adapted into radical, cutting edge lifestyle concepts that culminate into an unforgettable experience for our guests. Henderson's vision mirrored ours; and the new addition to the collection is welcomed."
Henderson and Gulliver, whose other interests are unaffected, are no longer involved in the hotel.
