Crest Hotels expands portfolio with acquisition of The Feathers Hotel

The Feathers Hotel in Ludlow, which was the site of a fatal legionnaires outbreak last year, is under new ownership having been acquired by Crest Hotels for an undisclosed sum.

Crest Hotels is a privately owned and managed hotel group and the 17th Century, 40-bedroom hotel is the latest addition to the company’s portfolio.

The purchase of the historic Feathers Hotel comprises 40 bedrooms, reception area, four function rooms, restaurant and bar; all of which will benefit from a soft refurbishment and modernisation.

Crest is investing over £500,000 to re-position the property, which includes an aesthetic makeover to public areas, rooms and the function suite, as well as complete new plumbing throughout. The refurbishment will also see the addition of a new tea room and restaurant which aims to achieve accreditation with two AA Rosette’s within six months of opening.

The Feathers Hotel in Ludlow closed in August following a legionnaires outbreak in 2017 which caused the death of of 69-year-old Elaine Brown, who contracted the disease at the property.

Jason Hiley, group operations director at Crest Hotels, said: “This is an exciting time for the group and we are delighted to add such a unique and characterful property to our portfolio. The Feathers Hotel is packed with history and heritage which we are keen to preserve in the re-opening of the hotel and we look forward to the next few months where we can sensitively refurbish the hotel before the planned relaunch in spring.

“The hotel will continue to operate as an independent hotel with the support and wealth of experience from the Crest Hotels Management team. Pivotal to the purchase is our desire to work with the local community to not only create 30 new jobs, with appointments benefiting from our bespoke training and development programme, but to also invest time in supporting the area as a tourist led destination and further boost the local economy.”