Luxury hotel group JJW Hotels & Resorts acquires The Eton Collection in UK

The acquisition increases the JJW Hotels & Resorts UK portfolio from three to eight luxury hotels and further cements its position as the leading European luxury boutique hotel group. Peter Tyrie, the founder and Chief Executive of The Eton Collection, will join as Chief Executive of JJW Hotels & Resorts United Kingdom. He will be responsible for consolidating The Eton Collection, which includes Threadneedles Hotel in London, into the UK Group which includes The Berners Hotel in London, The Scotsman in Edinburgh and 42 The Calls in Leeds.

Sheikh Mohamed Bin Issa Al Jaber, founder, Chairman and CEO of JJW Hotels & Resorts comments:

"JJW Hotels & Resorts is focusing its expansion at the luxury end of the hotel market and The Eton Collection has a well-established position in this growing market sector. With hotels located in London, Edinburgh and Leeds, The Eton Collection fits well with our existing properties in the UK, providing excellent opportunities for cross marketing. We look forward to working with a strong and experienced management team who we are confident will be able to drive our business forward."

Since it was founded in the late 1980s, JJW Hotels has built a strong portfolio of luxury hotels in prime locations such as London, Edinburgh, Leeds, Paris, Cote d'Azur, Vienna, The Algarve and in the Middle East, Cairo. Today's acquisition by JJW is another move towards expanding the luxury and boutique hotels in the UK and complements recent acquisitions in Europe such as the Palais Schwarzenberg in Vienna. This historic property with its royal connections now sits alongside JJW's renowned 'Grand Hotel Wien' also in Vienna, the Scotsman Group comprising The Scotsman Hotel in Edinburgh, 42 The Calls in Leeds, and La Tremoille in Paris' golden triangle'. Also in Paris' 8th arrondissement are JJW's luxury Hotels Balzac and De Vigny.

JJW also owns the world renowned and exclusive Pinheiros Altos golf resort located on the Algarve coast in Portugal. This private, gated community, is home to an international standard 27 hole golf course with a private Club House. Currently under construction is a luxury 5-star hotel and spa on the highest of the development, due to open in 2008.