Experimental Group acquires Cowley Manor

Paris-based Experimental Group has announced its acquisition of Cowley Manor and Spa in the Cotswolds for an undisclosed sum, marking the group’s first UK property outside of London. The group will continue to operate the hotel in its current guise, with plans to refurbish the interior over time, and introduce four new room types to the existing property. The hotel’s team of local staff and its general manager will be retained, and all existing events and weddings will be reportedly honoured. Cowley Manor comprises 31 rooms in both the main house and surrounding stable buildings, and offers guests 55 acres of natural lakes and woodland. The manor is reportedly one of the UK’s first luxury rural hotels to offer a destination spa, with indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a sauna, steam room and gym. Newly appointed local chef, Dominic Hargreaves, also joins the manor to create a new menu for the restaurant, with the introduction of open-air cooking during the summer months. Experimental Group said it will work with local farmers and food producers, and it plans to work with local breweries and distilleries to spotlight British-made products. It will also introduce a sommelier to the hotel to create a specialist wine menu for the restaurant. The property has been sold from Jessica and Peter Frankopan, co-founders of A Curious Group of Hotels. Cowley Manor and Spa is the latest addition to Experimental’s portfolio comprising nine hotels in Europe - Paris, Verbier, Menorca and Venice - as well as in London, including The Henrietta Hotel in Covent Garden and St. Moritz opening in 2023. Romée de Goriainoff, founder of Experimental Group, said: “Cowley Manor and Spa is an exciting and landmark addition to our portfolio, right here in the Cotswolds. It’s been in safe hands for a generation and we now look forward to making it a popular addition to our offering.” Peter Frankopan, chairman of A Curious Group of Hotels, added: “We are immensely proud of what we have achieved over more than two decades, during which time we transformed a wonderful country house into one of the best-known hotels in the UK.”