Village Hotels has rebranded for third time in five years

Village Hotels is the new name for the mid-market group of hotels which has rebranded itself for the third time in five years.

Since 2012, the collection of 28 hotels, which have a strong focus on leisure and entertainment, has variously been known as Village Hotels Club, Village Urban Resorts and De Vere Village.

The company dates back to 1978 when bedrooms were added to Hyde Squash Club, near Manchester, by John Burrows to create Village Hotel and Leisure Club. Other hotels were added in Prestwich and Cheadle before the business was sold to Boddingtons brewery, which was bought in 1996 by its rival Greenall's. Today Village Hotels is owned by KSL Capital Partners, a US-based fund specialising in the hospitality sector.

The news of the change in name came to light as Village Hotels announced it has completed a long-leasehold deal with Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council to develop a £20m, 153-bedroom hotel in Basingstoke, Hampshire. It marks the latest expansion for the brand which intends to double its UK portfolio over the next five years.

Located in the mixed-use regeneration area of Basing View business district, the hotel will feature a restaurant, pub, Starbucks coffee shop, meeting rooms, and Village Gym with indoor swimming pool.

Iain Stackhouse (pictured), head of property at Village Hotels, said: "We're excited to add Basingstoke to our network and take another step forward to grow our presence across the south. We're fully funded and serious about growth, with investment capital secured, and so are looking for new partners and the next locations to keep up the pace of our expansion plans."

Village Hotels currently has a further two sites under development at Lakeside North Harbour in Portsmouth and Bristol.

Last month Paul Roberts was appointed chief executive of Village Hotels, after stepping down from the same role at Malmaison and Hotel du Vin.

Former Malmaison Hotel du Vin boss joins Village Hotels Club as CEO >>

Sale of Village Urban Resorts marks the end for De Vere Group >>

Robert Cook in job swap as new chief executive of De Vere Village >>
Videos from The Caterer archives

Are you looking for a new role? See all the current hospitality vacancies available with The Caterer Jobs