New owners check in at luxury Ilkley hotel

A West Yorkshire hotel has been sold as part of a wider business restructure involving venues across the North of England.

The Craiglands Hotel, in Ilkley, has been bought by Aura Hotels, part of Rambler Group Holdings, from hotel group Ailantus. 

Built in 1859, the 63-bedroom Victorian property, set in six acres of grounds, is a popular venue for weddings and corporate events.

The deal was advised by Newcastle-based Mincoffs Solicitors, who have worked with Ailantus for more than 25 years. 

The legal team was led by corporate partner John Nicholson, working closely with Ailantus director Neel Chawla, with support from corporate solicitor Grace Hughes, licensing and gaming partner Matt Foster, and real estate associate solicitor Keith Ravenhill.

John said: “We were delighted to advise Neel and the team on the sale of The Craiglands Hotel, which will be a fantastic addition for the Aura Group.

“We have supported Ailantus throughout their ongoing restructure and this most recent transaction has put them in an excellent position to continue their expansion across other areas.

“It was our pleasure to deliver a successful result for everyone involved and we look forward to supporting Neel on further transactions in the future.”

The sale forms part of Ailantus’ ongoing restructure of its hotel portfolio, which includes other sites such as the George Washington Hotel and Holiday Inn Gosforth Park.

Neel added: “This is the latest in a series of disposals as the Ailantus group restructures and we were delighted with the support we received from Mincoffs throughout.

“We have worked with John Nicholson and the team for a number of years and look forward to working together again on future opportunities.”

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