Transactions

LMEY buys out Thomas Cook

LMEY has bought Thomas Cook out of its hotel investment platform, which was established in May 2018, for an undisclosed fee.

The platform has eight operating hotels, including two Casa Cook properties.

Westfort Capital managing director Piers Bradley, said: "We are very pleased that LMEY have increased their shareholding to 100%. In LMEY we have a strong partner who supported our business from inception and who will continue to work with us to realise our ambitions for further growth."

LMEY founder Hans Kortlevers said: "Acquiring full ownership of Westfort Capital represents an exciting opportunity to expand LMEY's investment in a robust platform, with an experienced management team, and a high-quality hotel portfolio.

"The tourism industry has been challenged by the Covid-19 crisis, however we are confident that we have an attractive range of destinations, and the emerging appetite we're seeing for bookings indicates a positive bounce back. With an excellent track record of growth, we look forward to the next phase and the prospect of further hotel investments in the near future."

Westfort Capital was established in May 2018 to acquire and reposition underperforming and underinvested hotels across Mediterranean sun and beach markets. The number of investments held has doubled from a seed portfolio of four operating hotels to eight today, with further development properties on the pipeline. Current operators include OKU Hotels, a newly established brand, focused on the five-star luxury hotel segment with existing hotels in Ibiza and Kos.