New bid made for iconic Blackpool hotel

An offer has been made for the Imperial Hotel on North Promenade according to the agents handling the sale Savills.

The Grade II listed, 180 bedroomed building has been on the market since April with a guide price of £10.5m.

It had been previously under offer in October but that deal did not go ahead and the latest news comes a week after five hotels from the same stable of 10 were sold by owner, The Hotel Collection, to a North East company Cairns.

The four-star hotel has 14 conference rooms catering for up to 600 delegates and can cater for 176 diners.

It was part of the Forte group but sold to the Hotel Collection in 1997.

Cairns bought the Redworth Hall Hotel near Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, The Old Ship Hotel in Brighton, The Angel Hotel in Cardiff, The Majestic Hotel in Harrogate, and The Stirling Highland Hotel for £75m.

The Imperial Hotel in Torquay was sold earlier this summer leaving just Blackpool’s Imperial, The Billesley Manor Hotel, Stratford-upon-Avon and The Shrigley Hall Hotel,Golf and Country Club, Macclesfield and the The Aberdeen Altens Hotel, Aberdeen.

Blackpool’s Imperial dates from around 1867 and has played host to many famous guests including Charles Dickens, Winston Churchill, Fred Astaire, The Beatles,Princess Margaret and PrincessAnne.

It was a regular haunt of top politicians in the party conference heyday of Blackpool.

It has recently undergone extensive refurbishment with £1.5m spent on it in the past year in sprucing up the exterior and the public areas.

The Palm Court Restaurant and Number 10 bar plus the lounge and health club also recently received attention and the first six of the bedrooms have had an upgrade.

A spokesman for Savills said: “We can confirm the Imperial is now under offer but no further details are available at this stage.”