Harbour Hotels Group snaps up Salcombe's Marine hotel

The Marine hotel in Salcombe, Devon, has been purchased by the Harbour Hotels Group (HHG), which has plans to own 12 hotels within the next five years.

 Salcombe Harbour hotel â€" HHG, owned by property investors Nicolas James, now has five hotels and a wedding venue, Northbrook Park in Farnham, Surrey.
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All the hotels are situated overlooking or close to the sea in south coast counties.

“We are very keen to find more hotels along the south coast which fit within our core brand of being situated on the waterfront or with good views of the sea,” said Mark Godfrey, managing director of HHG.

The 50-bedroom Salcombe Harbour hotel, which was sold for an undisclosed price, was previously owned by property developers Benton Property Holdings and has been closed for 12 months.

“The hotel is a perfect fit for the group as it is in a fabulous location with stunning views across the Salcombe estuary,” said Godfrey.

Around £150,000 is now to be spent on redecoration and repairs before the hotel is reopened on 29 March.

“With only 11 weeks to go, we have got an awful lot to do, including recruiting a team of 50 staff and installing IT systems. It is going to be quite a challenge and we have already taken our first booking.”

Over the next couple of years HHG plan to spend around £2m, including up to £15,000 per bedroom, on a total refurbishment of the Salcombe Harbour hotel to create a good quality four star property.

The four other hotels owned by HHG are the Christchurch Harbour hotel and the Kings hotel, both in Christchurch, Dorset; the Porthminster hotel, St Ives, Cornwall; and the Westcliff hotel, Sidmouth, Devon. Chef Gary Rhodes operates restaurants in the two Christchurch hotels.

Gary Rhodes plans two restaurants with Harbour Hotels >>

Interview with Gary Rhodes about his new Dorset restaurant >>

Menuwatch at Rhodes South >>

By Janet Harmer

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