Having recently announced the acquisition of 12 Menzies Hotels in an £80m deal and therefore planning to build a £1bn hotel business, The Topland Group has appointed a new director of hotels to lead the ambitious international property investment firm through the next stage of its growth.
The company is welcoming Lionel Benjamin, formerly off the Ability Group, where he will head up the hotel and leisure division of the company for the next three and a half years. Benjamin has previously worked at Hilton Worldwide, where he was involved in the sale of 13 Hilton branded hotels including a European portfolio, as well as director of operations at both The Savoy and the Hilton London Metropole.
Owned by billionaire brothers Sol and Eddie Zakay, The Topland Group is one of the largest privately owned international investment groups. . The group currently owns 21 hotels, including Bath's Royal Crescent Hotel, the Brighton Metropole, the Glasgow Hilton and a portfolio of Thistle Hotels, six in central London and one in Edinburgh.
Topland’s £300m lending business is also expected to capitalise on Benjamin's expertise with a number of funding deals planned for the hotel sector later this year.