Overview:
- Funds managed by Henderson Park Capital have acquired the London Hilton Metropole and Birmingham Hilton Metropole hotels for more than £500 million from Tonstate.
- The Hilton London Metropole has the largest delegate capacity of any London conference hotel and with 1059 rooms it is the second largest hotel by room count. It is a freehold property comprising 1.7 acres of land located on the Edgware Road. Its proximity to Paddington Station allows speedy access to Heathrow and from next year, the new Crossrail line.
- The Hilton Birmingham Metropole’s 33 banqueting/meeting rooms, house up to 2000 delegates, giving it the largest delegate capacity of any conference hotel outside of the capital. Its 790 bedrooms make it the country’s biggest hotel outside of the capital. The long leasehold property is located 10 minutes from Birmingham International Airport and the planned HS2 train station.
- Henderson Park is a European real estate investment and asset management vehicle. It was founded by Nick Weber (previously of Goldman Sachs) and is based in London.
- London-based Tonstate holds a diversified investment and property portfolio, which at one point included the Hilton Cardiff.
- This deal is Henderson Park's first foray into the UK hotel market. Its Parisian investments already include the acquisition of Le Méridien Étoile, the city’s largest hotel.
- The deal is the second significant UK hotel acquisition in recent months following CBRE Global Investors' £161.5 million acquisition of Park Plaza London Waterloo.
Jordan Hughes – Journalist
