Samlesbury Hotel saved from administration

KRO Hospitality has bought Samlesbury Hotel out of administration in a multi-million pound deal that has saved 50 local jobs.

The Preston hotel will now undergo a £1.5m revamp and will be rebranded and relaunched in April 2019 as Mercure Preston Samlesbury Hotel. KRO has chosen Mercure, part of the Accor brand family, as a franchise partner, and will also operate the hotel.

The 80-room hotel, which was voted the best in Lancashire last year, is complete with restaurant, bar and eight meetings and events spaces including the Canberra Suite, which can hold up to 160 guests and is fully licenced for weddings and other events.

KRO said “great effort” has gone into researching the aircraft manufacturing heritage of Samlesbury and part of the refurbishment plan will be to “tell this story through art”.

Owner of KRO Hospitality, Kim Eivind Krohn, said: “We are delighted to welcome the Mercure Preston Samlesbury Hotel to our portfolio. It is a fantastic hotel with enormous potential and is situated in an ideal location to attract business travellers and leisure guests alike.

“The hotel is of huge importance to the region. It was recently shortlisted in the Hotel of the Year category for the 2018 Lancashire Business Awards, a title it won in 2017 and we are very pleased that we can help ensure the hotel remains an important part of the community. We can also confirm there will be no disruption to day to day operation.”

Cristina de Oliveira-Frewen SVP franchise operations at Accor northern Europe added: “The Mercure brand combines the strength of an international network with the flexibility to ensure each hotel is individually tailored to its local community, so it is a perfect fit for this award winning hotel.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with KRO Hospitality to ensure the hotel achieves its full potential as a high quality, authentic destination for leisure and business travellers and the local community.”