St Austell Brewery acquires two Devon hotels

St Austell Brewery has acquired two hotels in Devon; Dartmouth’s 24-bedroom Royal Castle hotel and the 21-bedroom Royal Seven Stars in Totnes (pictured).

The brewery, which owns 182 pubs, inns and hotels, has bought the properties from Nigel and Anne Way who, after 37 years, decided to spend more time with their family and focus on their other two hotels in Somerset, the Porlock Weir and Luttrell Arms.

Kevin Georgel, chief executive at St Austell Brewery, said: “We’re delighted to be announcing that the Royal Seven Stars and the Royal Castle hotel are now part of our managed estate. Both hotels fit perfectly with our existing portfolio - family-friendly venues, in popular locations, with unrivalled views and quality bedrooms. The acquisition of these sites also supports our plans to strengthen and grow our estate across the South West region.”

Steve Worrall, managing director of St Austell Brewery’s pubs inn and hotels business, added: “Nigel and Anne Way have built two tremendously successful businesses, renowned for their quality offering and exceptional level of customer service. We’d like to wish them all the best for the future and look forward to working closely with their teams, to ensure the continued success of both hotels. Both the Royal Castle hotel and the Royal Seven Stars remain open for business as normal and we look forward to welcoming local residents and visitors.”

Nigel and Anne Way said: “After 37 years we – and our daughter, Becca – have decided to spend more time together as a family and focus on our two West Somerset hotels, the Porlock Weir and Luttrell Arms.

“We’re confident that St Austell Brewery, an independent, West Country business - that shares our family values - will be the most suitable guardian for our two Devon hotels going forward.”

In 2019, St Austell Brewery acquired six new West County pubs, inns and hotels. New managed sites opening in 2020 include the Rock Point Inn in Lyme Regis – the company’s first pub in Dorset – and the Harbour Light restaurant on Paignton’s North Quay.