Castleforge Partners Acquires Hilton Cardiff
Main Photo: The Hilton Cardiff
Date: June 2021
Location: Cardiff City Centre, Wales, UK
Name: Hilton Cardiff
No. of Keys: 197
Seller: In 2007, Tonstate Hotels purchased the hotel with a funding package from the Bank of Scotland Corporate and is believed to have traded around £35m. The original structure was built in 1947 as the regional headquarters of the Prudential Assurance Company. After the company moved to new premises in 1994, it was put up for sale, until the lease was purchased by Hilton Hotels in 1997.
Buyer: Property investment firm Castleforge Partners has announced its second hotel purchase in the last month with the acquisition of the Hilton Hotel in Cardiff, in a sales process run by CBRE.
Castleforge purchased the 197-bedroom hotel, located in the heart of the Welsh capital, from a private owner who had owned the hotel for fourteen years. Opened in 1999, the seven-floor Hilton Cardiff has views over Cardiff Castle and the city’s Edwardian civic centre.
The deal quickly follows Castleforge’s first investment in the hospitality sector in May when it acquired the Best Western Plus Bruntsfield Hotel in Edinburgh.
Castleforge has invested approximately £1 billion since its inception in 2010, gaining a strong reputation for value-add investment in office and residential real estate across the UK and Europe. In 2020, Castleforge announced its intentions to enter the hospitality sector when it hired Matt Lederer from Marriott International to become their Hotel Acquisitions Director.
Commenting on the Hilton Cardiff purchase, Matt Lederer, Hotel Acquisitions Director at Castleforge Partners, says: “Our hotel strategy at Castleforge is to invest only in best in class value add opportunities across the UK and European markets. Our decision to invest in the city of Cardiff and the Hilton Hotel are emblematic of this approach.”
Brandon Hollihan, Founding Partner of Castleforge Partners, says: “We are thrilled to be announcing our move into the hospitality sector with the landmark purchases of the Hilton Cardiff and the Best Western Plus Bruntsfield Hotel in Edinburgh. The last year has been tough on the hospitality industry, but we firmly believe that these top-tier hotels and destinations are particularly well primed for a big bounce back in the months and years to come.”
Julia Wyss at CBRE says: “The hotel benefits from both its central location and its association with Hilton Worldwide. We received strong demand resulting in a competitive bidding process, further signalling investors’ continued confidence in the recovery of the UK hotel market.”
In 2018 Castleforge invested in the 225,000 sq ft Brunel House in Cardiff city centre, spending more than £1m on a makeover of the property. This included a new external foyer and a two-storey glass atrium to mirror the extensive glazing of the building.
THPT Comment: Castleforge not hanging around with their second hotel acquisition in two months.
First Seen: Property Funds World
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