Stratford’s Welcombe Hotel Sold Out of Administration, All 99 Jobs Kept

The Welcombe Hotel in Stratford-upon-Avon has been sold out of administration to a new company, The Welcombe Estate Limited, and all 99 staff have moved across to the new owner, the administrators say. The sale was first reported by the Stratford Herald on Friday 13 November.

It ends a short spell of uncertainty for the hotel on Warwick Road. Administrators from Kroll were appointed on Monday 2 November to both the company that owned the building and the company that ran the hotel, as we reported on 6 November and 10 November. According to the Herald, the business was sold within a week.

Who has bought the Welcombe?

Companies House records show The Welcombe Estate Limited was set up on 7 April 2026 as The Morritt Hotel Limited and changed to its present name on 18 June. Its registered office is in Faringdon, Oxfordshire, and its business is listed as hotels. The only person with significant control is Interesting Hotels Limited, which owns 75% or more of the shares. Interesting Hotels Group sells stays, spa days and dining at its hotels on its own website.

The Herald reports that the hotel was valued at £8.5 million and that it isn’t yet clear how much of the old companies’ debt the sale will cover. Kroll managing director Geoff Bouchier told the paper the deal “secures the future of the hotel, preserves all 99 jobs” and puts it in the hands of an experienced operator.

Companies House also shows the old operating company, CD Welcombe OpCo Limited, was renamed CDWO Realisations 2026 Limited on 11 November. Companies sold in administration often change their name like this, so the original name can pass to the buyer or stop being used.

Is the Welcombe Hotel open, and are bookings safe?

Yes, it’s open. The hotel’s website was taking bookings for rooms, tables, spa days and tee times on the morning of 13 November and still lists its Christmas events. Neither the hotel nor Kroll has said publicly what the sale means for existing bookings, vouchers or weddings. If you have one, contact the hotel first; the administrators’ details are on the Gazette notice.

What happens next

The administrators still have to set out their proposals for the old companies’ creditors, usually within eight weeks of being appointed, and file them at Companies House. Those papers should show what the sale raised and who gets paid. We’ll update this story when they appear or when the new owner says more.

The Welcombe, a Neo-Jacobean mansion with a spa and its own golf course, opened as a hotel in 1931. Our Welcombe Hotel listing has its facilities, and our where to stay guide covers the town’s other hotels.

Details checked on 13 November 2026 using Companies House, the Welcombe Hotel’s website and the Stratford Herald’s report, which first reported the sale and quotes the administrators.

Alex Harrington

Alex Harrington grew up in Stratford-upon-Avon and runs What's up, Stratford? as an independent guide to the town.