Owners of The Mere buy Cheshire Stanneylands Hotel for £4.15m #Blog

Stephen Wundke
24th December 2015

A £4.15m purchase of the 55 bedroom country house hotel in Wilmslow was completed by The Mere Golf Resort & Spa today.

The new owners of The Stanneylands: Mark Boler & Gary Corbett have been searching for a second site to grow the operation of The Mere brand for the last 12 months.

The new owners are planning to reposition the property as a boutique country house hotel in the early summer following an investment and refurbishment programme to the guestrooms, public areas and in employee training.

It comes after The Stanneylands previous owners, Prima Hotels, went into administration in May, resulting in the sale of three of their other properties in England –Nunsmere Hall, nr Northwich, Cheshire,  Hellaby Hall Hotel, in Rotherham, South York’s, and The Quorn Country Hotel in Leicestershire.  Legacy Hotels and Resorts have been running the Prima Hotels group on behalf of the administrators.

Corbett said: “The strategic acquisition of The Stanneylands allows us to transfer the operational and customer experience that we are renowned for delivering at The Mere to The Stanneylands , coupled with our plans to improve the product and services on offer,  we are confident that this will delight existing guests as well as attract new customers. The Stanneylands product and reputation is a perfect fit to spearhead our ambition to grow the operation of The Mere brand.

Boler said: “We’re delighted to be the new owners of The Stanneylands a hotel that has an amazing history and reputation in the local market. We are really excited about the investment planned, getting to know the team and in restoring this hotel to its former glory with a little twist of Mere magic.

James Burgess, director, Structured Finance for Commercial and Private Banking at Royal Bank of Scotland, said: “The Royal Bank of Scotland is delighted to have supported Mere Group through the multi-million pound acquisition of the Stanneylands Hotel. The hotel has a loyal clientele and strong standing within the local area. As a leisure development, and to an organisation with the experience and expertise as The Mere Group, the investment offers strong long-term opportunities and will further enhance the group’s portfolio.”

Howard Gillibrand, relationship director with Commercial and Private Banking at Royal Bank of Scotland, added: “The Mere Group has a long-standing relationship with the Royal Bank of Scotland and it is great to have been able to help them secure this purchase and continue to support them as they expand their operations. We wish them all the very best with this new acquisition.”

Located in tranquil countryside and only 10 minutes from Manchester Airport, the award winning 4 Star Stanneylands country house hotel Cheshire offers 55 bedrooms including deluxe suites, executive accommodation and fine dining in the 2 AA Rosette Restaurant plus the contemporary Calico Café Bar.