Oetker Collection takes on management of the Lanesborough hotel

The Lanesborough hotel in London is to be managed by Oetker Collection, taking on the property from St Regis, the luxury brand from Starwood Hotel & Resorts.

The management company, which operates eight hotels worldwide, takes on the luxury property as it nears the end of a prolonged period of closure for complete refurbishment. It is due to reopen in Spring 2015.

Oetker Collection chief executive Frank Marrenbach said: "The Lanesborough is clearly a landmark within the European hospitality landscape with an exceptional heritage and a strong and unique identity, and it will fit perfectly in our collection of Masterpiece hotels."

He added that managing director Geoffrey Gerlardi would continue to run the 93-bedroom hotel.

Gelardi said: "We are delighted to join the Oetker Collection which embodies the finest of traditional European hospitality. We think our guests will love the new design and style of service when The Lanesborough re-opens in spring, maintaining its continued success since 1991. After 18 months of complete renovation, our aim is to resume our premier position in the London market."

Marrenbach said that the move into London was a strategic decision for the Oetker Collection.

"The Lanesborough will be a perfect sister hotel with Le Bristol Paris, offering two major urban hotels on each side of the Channel and creating exciting synergies between both hotels and the entire Collection," he added. "It is our intent to anchor The Lanesborough as part of London life, a true symbol of a cosmopolitan and vibrant capital."

It is due to open Villa Stephanie at Brenners Park-Hotel & Spa in January 2015.

The Lanesborough hotel is known for its high-profile visitors, 24-hour private butler available to each guest and £18,000-a-night Lanesborough Suite. Once the renovation has completed, it will feature the final work of interior designer, Alberto Pinto, who completed the designs for the hotel before his death in 2012.

The building housed St George's Hospital for over a century, before being refitted and reopened as a luxury hotel in 1991.

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