TWO hotels in Bournemouth have been sold for millions of pounds.

The sales of the Durley Grange Hotel and Hotel Celebrity have concluded following ownerships of 17 years and 26 years respectively.

Durley Grange has been sold to an ‘established serviced accommodation developer and provider’ for £2.5 million, while Hotel Celebrity has been sold to Leicestershire based Cashmere Hotels Group.

The sales were finalised by the Hotels and Leisure Division of Goadsby Commercial.

Durley Grange in Durley Road comprises 52 en-suite letting bedrooms, associated public areas and an indoor leisure suite including a sauna, jacuzzi and heated swimming pool.

The hotel reportedly attracted offers from hoteliers, investors and residential developers.

Goadsby said the buyer is ‘adding this latest project to their fast expanding portfolio’.

Hotel Celebrity in Gervis Road has 59 bedrooms, with each letting room named after a celebrity from the field of film, music or sport reflecting its past entertainment connections, being the childhood home of comedian Tony Hancock whilst regularly welcoming artists performing at the Pavilion and Winter Gardens theatres.

The hotel remains the home of Rubyz Cabaret Club and has itself featured recently on Channel 5’s The Hotel Inspector with Alex Polizzi.

Speaking to the Daily Echo in April, Hotel Celebrity’s previous owner Ken Robins said he was selling the hotel due to a combination of age and a diagnosis of stage four prostate cancer.

The figure he gave was £1.295m, although Goadsby has not confirmed the final sale price.

Goadsby said Cashmere Hotels Group has ‘ambitious plans for the hotel going forward’.

Divisional director, Ian Palmer, said: “Hotel sales are incredibly challenging to achieve in the current climate, notwithstanding a lack of appetite in the sector from the mainstream lending institutions.

"However, as the agent chosen to act for each of the outgoing owners, Goadsby was firmly committed to achieving a successful outcome for both albeit, and as is typically the case, it was not an entirely smooth journey along the way.

"I was very pleased we got them over the line in the end."