ONE of Wirral’s best-known hotels has changed hands in a deal worth £2.25m.

The King’s Gap Court Hotel, at Hoylake, has been bought by a consortium led by Wirral entrepreneur Simon Matthews-Williams, chairman of Sanguine Hospitality.

The businessman, who helped kick-start Liverpool’s hotel boom, has added the King’s Gap to his rapidly expanding portfolio of high-profile properties in Merseyside and Cheshire.

It is the dynamic company’s third acquisition this year, following the purchase for £6.35m of Hoole Hall, near Chester, in February and The Gateway to Wales Hotel, situated near Chester, in March.

The King’s Gap Court has been described as a beautifully presented three-star hotel with 31 bedrooms.

The new owners are already planning a major refurbishment and up-grading programme, and plan to unveil their project early in 2008. This is in addition to the company’s plans to invest £3m on improvements at Hoole Hall.

The hotel’s new general manager is Colette Brannan, formerly of Centre Islands Hotels, where she headed up an award-winning team at the Express by Holiday Inn at the Albert Dock in Liverpool, and the city centre boutique hotel, 62 Castle Street.

Mr Matthews-Williams said last night: “King’s Gap is a fantastic acquisition for us and complements our two other properties. It moves us closer to our target of 500 rooms in the North West within the next two to three years.”

Four years ago, Mr Matthews-Williams, who is credited with being at the forefront of Merseyside’s hotel revival, relinquished his 40% stake in Centre Island Hotels to his Irish business partner in a deal which netted him more than £4.5m.

Under his direction, Centre Island – now Merseyside’s biggest hotel employer – took on franchise operations for Liverpool’s Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inns in Lime Street, Ellesmere Port, Ashford in Kent and Express by Holiday Inn at the Albert Dock.

After leaving the company, he bought one of Bristol’s most famous landmarks, Cadbury House Country and Leisure Club, with its conference and banqueting venue at Congresbury, and invested £17m, turning it into a four-star deluxe hotel and country club.

He has since developed the historic property, with its 14 acres of picturesque park and woodland, into a luxury hotel.

Now, as chairman of Sanguine Hospitality Limited, and along with Sean Malone, the company’s finance director and former finance director of Centre Island, they have brought together a syndicate of investors. These include Venture Capital Trusts, represented by Rathbones of Liverpool and Downing Corporate Finance of London.