Brothers swoop to buy hotel and plan to invest in future

Talash Hotels Group, a Warwickshire-based hospitality group purchased the Mercure Wigan Oak, adding to a growing portfolio that includes the Mercure Chester Abbots Well and Chimney House Hotel in Sandbach, with funding from Allied Irish Bank (GB).

In addition to its 88 guest bedrooms, the Mercure Wigan Oak is a wedding-licenced venue comprising a restaurant, bar and eight meeting rooms. Based in Leamington Spa, and founded in 2007 by brothers Sanjay and Ravi Kathuria, the group now operates 11 hotels.

Sanjay and Ravi plan to grow that figure to 20 by 2020. AIB (GB)’s team was led by hospitality sector specialist Morgan Keating.

Mr Keating said: “Sanjay and Ravi are building a collection of hotels and their business acumen is proving a powerful strategy in a market which has become increasingly competitive in recent years due to the popularity of websites such as airbnb, continuing to put pressure on traditional hotels.”

Sanjay said: “Mercure Wigan Oak has huge untapped potential. Our plan is to build the business further by investing in the hotel, particularly its conference and banqueting facilities to capitalise on an increasing demand for business and private functions in the area.”