KSL Capital Acquires Famed Belfry

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Private equity firm KSL Capital Partners added another elite luxury resort property to its portfolio with the recent addition of The Belfry in England. The renowned hotel and golf resort is located in Wishaw, Sutton Coldfield, North Warwickshire, England, and it represents KSL's first purchase outside the U.S.

Conveniently located near England's two largest cities, London and Birmingham, by both car and train, The Belfry features seven food and beverage outlets, a 25,000-square-foot fitness center, a spa and 20,000 square feet of meeting space.

Spread across 550 acres, the 324-room property is the world's only four-time host of The Ryder Cup, having held the tournament in 1985, 1989, 1993 and 2002, on its world famous golf course, The Brabazon. The Belfry is also home to the PGA National Golf Academy and, in addition to The Brabazon, features two additional golf courses - PGA National, England's only PGA branded golf course, and The Derby.

The resort will be managed by a subsidiary of the De Vere Group, which through its brands De Vere Hotels, Venues and Village, owns and operates 62 different locations with a modern British flavor throughout the United Kingdom. The De Vere Group previously owned and managed the resort prior to its sale in 2005 to the seller, an affiliate of The Quinn Group.

KSL plans a comprehensive renovation of the hotel, including the public areas, guest rooms, dining outlets and meeting spaces to enhance the overall guest experience. Given the unique and expansive nature of the resort campus with multiple guest room buildings, conference locations and food and beverage outlets, The Belfry will remain fully open during the renovation.

"The Belfry has a proud heritage and is widely known as the 'spiritual home of The Ryder Cup,' and we are honored to be the next stewards of this great property," said Richard Weissmann, one of KSL's partners. "Given KSL's experience owning and operating large scale golf and spa resorts across the United States, The Belfry is the perfect opportunity for our first resort investment in Europe. We believe De Vere's familiarity with today's European travelers combined with our planned renovations will provide guests of The Belfry a new level of luxury, service and amenities."

KSL is a private equity firm specializing in travel and leisure enterprises in five primary sectors: hospitality, recreation, clubs, real estate and travel services. KSL's current portfolio includes some of the premier properties in travel and leisure, including The Grove Park Inn, The Homestead, Montelucia Resort & Spa, Barton Creek Resort & Spa, Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa, The Royal Palm, La Costa Resort and Spa, and ClubCorp, one of the world's largest owners of private golf and business clubs.

The acquisition comes just three months after KSL closed on its purchase of historic Grove Park Inn Resort & Spin Asheville, N.C.