Minor Hotels to launch the Wolseley and Colbert hotel brands

Minor Hotels is set to launch hotels based on London’s the Wolseley and Colbert restaurant brands.

The group, which owns the Wolseley Hospitality Group, is launching four new hotel brands in a bid to “fulfil evolving traveller and owner needs”.

These include the luxury soft brand Minor Reserve Collection and budget-friendly iStay Hotels.

The Wolseley Hotels brand is described as “rooted in the heritage of the iconic Piccadilly restaurant” and will blend “British elegance with European flair and global influence”.

The Colbert Collection will be a global collection of premium independent hotels “designed for those fuelled by a passion for culinary excellence”.

Minor said it was in “active discussions” around development opportunities for each brand and the first property announcements for each were expected in the coming months.

The move to bring the Wolseley and Colbert London restaurants into hotels has long been rumoured since Minor wrested control of the business from former owner Jeremy King in 2022.

Minor owns and operates more than 560 hotels across 57 countries and said the new brands were part of a strategy to reach 850 properties by the end of 2027.

Ian Di Tullio, chief commercial officer at Minor Hotels, said: “We have meticulously crafted each new brand to capture specific opportunities in the market, enabling us to meet the evolving needs of modern travellers and owners alike. By expanding our brand offering to address new segments, we are empowering our partners, delighting our guests and accelerating our global growth strategy.”

Minor has already tested out its Wolseley brand overseas and launched a Café Wolseley pop-up in the Anantara Siam Bangkok hotel in Thailand in 2023.

The new brand announcement follows a transitional year for the Wolseley Hospitality Group, which called in restructuring advisers to help it navigate cashflow issues last year.

This was followed by chief executive Baton Berisha stepping down after two years in September.

The Wolseley Hospitality Group posted a pre-tax loss of £8.7m in 2023 while turnover rose 11% to £59.5m.

It now operates nine venues across London: the Wolseley, the Delaunay, Brasserie Zédel, Colbert, Fischer’s, Bellanger, Soutine, Manzi’s and the Wolseley City.