Stanbrook Abbey Hotel has been acquired by Hand Picked Hotels

March 2017 — Clarenco LLP, a group of companies that focus on property, has sold Stanbrook Abbey Hotel to Hand Picked Hotels for an undisclosed consideration.

Stanbrook Abbey Hotel is a grade II listed abbey in a beautiful location close to the county town of Worcester. The building was carefully restored and converted into hotel and function venue by Mike and Carol Clare, the founders of Clarenco. The gothic style abbey, once inhabited by Benedictine nuns, with later additions by the son of House of Commons architect Augustus Pugin, includes a church, cloisters and towers and is set in a walled estate of 26 acres at the foot the Malvern Hills. The hotel has 55 double bedrooms and a wedding and events suite remodeled from the abbey’s original presbytery. There are 17 function rooms, including historic wine cellars, games rooms, banqueting halls and a garden pavilion, providing distinctive settings for weddings, private parties and corporate events.

Hand Picked Hotels is a collection of individual country house hotels located throughout the UK and the Channel Islands. Hand Picked Hotels was created by former lawyer turned hotelier Julia Hands and her husband, financier Guy Hands.

Our role in the transaction

Oaklins Smith & Williamson, based in the UK, acted as the exclusive financial advisor on the sale of Stanbrook Abbey. The team's specialist commented: “We are thrilled to have secured such a good outcome for Stanbrook Abbey. It was important to have good contacts in the hotels and hospitality sector and to find a strategic buyer such as Hand Picked who, we are sure, will continue Mike and Carol Clare’s legacy.”