A family-run hotel group has been launched following the acquisition of a hotel.

Clifford Ayris, already owner of The White Hart Hotel in Lewes, has bought The Boship Farm Hotel in Lower Dicker, near Hailsham, for an undisclosed sum.

He said it marked the formation of his new venture, Prime Location Hotels.

The three-star, 47-bedroom hotel has conference and banqueting facilities and was part of the Forestdale Hotels' portfolio of 18 hotels across the UK.

Andrew Theobold, associate at estate agents Knight Frank Hotels, said: "After 21 years of ownership, Forestdale Hotels felt the hotel did not fit within its general portfolio of hotels, and the strong market represented an opportune time for them to explore their options."

Thursday, February 16, 2006