Belfry on course for expansion after sale
Cedar Capital and Goldman Sachs buy famous golf resort
THE world-famous Belfry golf resort and hotel in Sutton Coldfield is to undergo a major upgrade after it was bought by two leading investment companies.
The Belfry Hotel and Resort in Lichfield Road, Wishaw, has been acquired by Goldman Sachs Asset Management and Cedar Capital Partners from KSL Capital Partners.
The venue is most well-known for hosting the Ryder Cup golf tournament between Europe and the United States of America, four times – in 1985, 1989, 1993 and 2002, more than any other venue.
It has also played host to European Tour golf events, including most recently the ISPS Handa UK Championship in 2020 and the 2021 Betfred British Masters.
The resort has three 18-hole courses including Ryder Cup course The Brabazon, The PGA National and The Derby. It also has a 12-hole crazy golf course.
The venue, set in a 550-acre estate, includes 320 guest rooms, five restaurants, a spa and meeting rooms.
But its new owners have now announced plans to revamp and extend it.
Nabil Aquedim, executive director in the Real Estate team at Goldman Sachs Asset Management, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Cedar for this acquisition of a renowned hotel and golf resort, which we plan to renovate and extend over the coming years.
“This investment aligns with our strategy of purchasing highquality assets that are well positioned to benefit from post-Covid hospitality and leisure trends.
“We look forward to working with Cedar and the hotel’s management team to build on the Belfry’s strong reputation as a golf resort and enhance the leisure offering.”
Big plans had been announced four years ago for a major expansion of the venue by its previous owners, KSL Capital Partners.
The plans included a new indoor pool, water park and more hotel rooms on the site of the Bel Air nightclub, which was set to close.
The proposal received the backing of North Warwickshire Borough
Council’s planning committee, but developments have yet to materialise. Then revised plans were announced two years ago for a new leisure club, spa, ballroom and bedrooms. There were plans for a new block overlooking the Brabazon with 144 rooms which would be linked to
a 600-seat ballroom and banqueting facility.
Now under new ownership, there appears to be fresh impetus to upgrade the venue.
Phil Golding, partner at Cedar Capital Partners said: “We look forward to working with the hotel’s management team to build on the Belfry’s storied history, and alongside our partners at Goldman Sachs, we are proud to be the next custodians of this iconic resort.”
The former owners, KSL Captial Partners, had owned The Belfry for nearly a decade, the site having previously been owned by The Quinn Group and The De Vere Group.
Raphael Bihler, vice president at KSL Capital Partners, said: “We are very proud to have owned the resort for almost 10 years, during which time we completed a substantial renovation and repositioning, and developed an outstanding operating team.
“Through multiple European PGA Tour events, countless corporate functions and many happy social events, we are confident that The Belfry has returned to its rightful place as the top resort in the UK.
“We are pleased to leave the resort in such stable hands and wish to thank the many members of the management team who have made our ownership period so enjoyable.”