Heartwood Collection, the award-winning hospitality group, has acquired the following sites from Whitbread Plc:
- The George & Dragon, Marlow
- The Red Lion, Stratford upon Avon
Both properties will undergo multi-million pound refurbishments with The George & Dragon becoming Heartwood’s seventh pub with rooms and is scheduled to reopen in 2025. The pubs join the seven other sites already confirmed by Heartwood for the next twelve months as part of its growth plan to reach over 60 sites by 2027.
The George & Dragon is a historic inn located in Marlow’s bustling town centre. The refurbishment will see its 17 rooms transformed into boutique bedrooms that reflect the town’s history and location on the River Thames. They will be infused with Heartwood’s signature warm, welcoming style with 200 internal covers in the spacious bar and dining room and a further 50 external covers.
The Red Lion is located on the canal in historic Stratford Upon Avon and just moments from the Royal Shakespeare Company. A listed building, the pub will be sympathetically renovated to create 175 internal covers across the bar and dining room with an additional 200 external covers created in the spacious garden.
Richard Ferrier, CEO of Heartwood Collection, said:
“We are absolutely delighted to have acquired these two iconic pubs from Whitbread. We have tracked them for a long time so to get them over the line is really pleasing. We will now invest significant time and capital in them.”
“Both the George & Dragon and the Red Lion will add a huge amount to our Heartwood Inns business. We have real momentum in our acquisition programme at present and a busy 12 months ahead.”
