Manor House & Ashbury Golf Hotel hits the market for £23m

The Manor House and Ashbury Golf Hotel in Devon has hit the market for £23m as its owners, Joan and Simon Essex, are retiring from the industry after 44 years of ownership. Global property consultancy Knight Frank has been instructed to market the leisure, spa, sports, crafts and golf resort as one business. The Manor House and Ashbury Golf Hotel has grown from a 10-bedroom manor house to comprise 404 guest bedrooms and circa 60 staff bedrooms. The business reportedly generates annual revenue in excess of £15m, with a high percentage of repeat custom contributing to the success of the resorts. Situated within two miles of each other, The Manor House Hotel and Ashbury Golf Hotel are set within 546 acres, situated on the edge of Dartmoor National Park. They are also within “easy” access to the City of Exeter, the South West coastline and the M5 motorway. This combined business reportedly includes the “9th largest golf resort in the world”, averaging over 110,000 rounds of golf played every year across the five 18-hole golf courses. There are over 50 daily sport, craft, leisure and spa activities available for guests and attracts circa 135,000 sport and leisure activity participants per annum, with “extensive” indoor and outdoor sporting facilities, operating as an all-year round tourism destination. Matthew Smith, partner in the Knight Frank Hotels team, said: “We are delighted to be acting as sole selling agents for the sale of The Manor House Hotel and Ashbury Golf Hotel, which operate as highly profitable multi-faceted unique leisure resorts. “Given the strength of the domestic market it is no surprise the business is currently benefiting from increased trading performance. The resorts, which are to be sold as one business, will no doubt appeal to an array of investors seeking a substantial land holding in the South West, and should provide further value-add and development opportunities.” Joan and Simon Essex, owners, added: “Soon, it will be 44 years since we moved into the Manor House, originally a large house in 17 acres with fantastic views of Dartmoor. We had a plan to build the only Sport and Craft Hotel in Britain, offering an unprecedented range of opportunities and facilities. We have fulfilled that dream. “We are proud to recognise the enormous contribution that our staff have made to the success of the Manor and Ashbury resorts and we are certain that this will continue to be the case. The resorts offer further growth for the next custodian with an exciting chapter ahead for the business.”