Park Inn London Purchased at Auction

The Times is reporting that Aly Kassam’s privately owned group of 11 hotels in Britain, Portugal and Dubai has acquired the 214-room Park Inn London on Russell Square in Central London from the administrators of WG Mitchell, the failed property company, for an estimated sum of more than $74 million. Christie & Co handled the sale for Ernst & Young.

Administrators from Ernst & Young were appointed to 28 of WG Mitchell’s 75 companies in April, after Royal Bank of Scotland called time on a number of loans. The hotel in Bloomsbury is managed by the Rezidor Hotel Group under its Park Inn banner.

The sale by Christies reportedly attracted total bids worth $1.6 billion, a positive sign for London’s hospitality as there have not been many acquisition opportunities of late.