Today’s news in brief – 16/5/25
Queensgate Investments has agreed to sell the European operations of Generator Group to Brookfield Asset Management for €776m (£653m). Queensgate acquired the lifestyle hospitality platform in 2017 for €440m (£370m) and has since expanded it from 12 hostels with 1,894 rooms to 21 assets with 3,925 rooms by 2025. Generator’s appeal lies in its Gen Z-targeted model offering city-centre locations, affordable shared stays, and lifestyle amenities, achieving strong margins. Brookfield will take over 15 of Generator’s European assets, comprising 2,749 rooms.
In Cornwall, Premier Inn has successfully appealed a planning refusal for a new 90-bedroom hotel in St Ives. The Planning Inspectorate overturned Cornwall Council’s initial decision, granting permission for the demolition of a care home on Trewidden Road to make way for the hotel, landscaping, parking and related infrastructure. Whitbread, which already operates four hotels in the area, aims to complete the site purchase within six months, allowing time for the current care home residents to relocate.
Meanwhile, luxury resort The Grove in Hertfordshire has promoted Anna Darnell to general manager. Darnell, who began her career at The Grove in 2005 as a corporate golf coordinator, now takes on responsibility for overall business strategy, revenue, and the full scope of guest-facing operations. Her promotion is part of a broader strengthening of the resort’s senior leadership team under group MD Bernard Murphy. Joining her are new culinary director Maarten Geschwindt and marketing director Lucy Chase-Gardener. The Grove spans 300 acres and features luxury accommodation, a championship golf course, spa, restaurants, and event spaces.
