St Helens Hotel to be re-branded to Mercure

The St Helens Hotel is set to operate under the Mercure brand following a £1m transformation by its new owners.

The Estee Group, which purchased the hotel last year, have since invested in replacing and upgrading furnishings throughout the building, including works to repair the roof, refurbish bedrooms and public areas, and transform the conference and events facilities.

From 28 May the 84-room hotel will operate as a Mercure under a franchise agreement. Estee Group successfully owns and manages two other Mercure-branded hotels in the UK, the Mercure Thame Lambert and Mercure Newbury West Grange.

Taher Tayeb at the Estee Group said: “We have invested a significant amount of money into this landmark hotel to make it a centrepiece of the town. We know the Mercure brand well and it is a great fit for this hotel, combining the strength of an international network with a strong commitment to quality and local inspiration.

“We are committed to making the hotel a real cornerstone of the community, staffed by local people, using local contractors, and catering for visitors and locals alike.”

General manager, Aquleem Khan, will lead the new team that has been recruited over recent months. Khan, who has over 17 years’ experience within the hospitality industry, will be responsible for running the hotel’s day to day operations, having overseen the transformation of the hotel since mid 2018.

Cristina De Oliveria Frewen, SVP franchise operations, Northern Europe at Accor, which owns the Mercure brand, sadded: “Having successfully worked with the team at Estee Group in two other Mercure hotels, we have huge confidence in their ability to make this hotel the local landmark it deserves to be.

“We are already highly encouraged by a strong pipeline of wedding bookings as people see that the hotel is being transformed into a truly high-quality establishment with a warm welcome.”