Principal Hotel Company


Principal Hotel Company is a British hotel and conference venue operator headquartered in Harrogate in North Yorkshire.

History

The company was formed from a management buyout of a group of six hotels in 2006, backed by the private equity firm Permira. In 2010 the company was taken over by Lloyds following financial difficulty. In February 2013, the bank sold the group to the American investment company Starwood Capital Group for 360 million.
In 2009, it expanded through the purchase of two venues from the collapsed group The Real Hotel Company and opened two new venues in France and Spain.
In November 2016, Principal Hayley Group went through a major rebranding and re-investment project. The group became known as the Principal Hotel Company and split their portfolio between two groups of hotels; Principal and De Vere. In May 2017, the group created the role of Group Nutrionist and named Wendy Martinson for the position, and launched its new loyalty programme Applause Rewards. In September 2017, after a brand overhaul, De Vere relaunched with 22 locations and announced the sale of 20 non-core hotels.
In December 2017, the Wychwood Park hotel was sold to Mokan Hotels Company for £8 million. In May 2018, IHG announced that 10 Principal Hotels in the UK would be rebranded as its leading luxury boutique brand, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, following a conditional agreement to operate the hotels on behalf of Fonciere des Regions.

Locations

The company operates 50 locations, mainly in the UK.
LocationName
LondonKimpton Fitzroy London Hotel
EdinburghKimpton Charlotte Square Hotel
EdinburghInterContinental Edinburgh The George
GlasgowKimpton Blythswood Square Hotel
GlasgowGrand Central Hotel
ManchesterKimpton Clocktower Hotel
YorkThe Principal York
Cardiffvoco St David's Cardiff Hotel
Sandford-on-Thamesvoco Oxford Thames
Oxfordvoco Oxford Spires
DorkingWotton House
LeedsThe Met Hotel

Governance