Dubai’s Select Group to open Fairmont Cheshire The Mere in the UK

Fairmont Hotels and Resorts has partnered with Dubai-based real estate development and investment firm, Select Group, to open Fairmont Cheshire The Mere in the UK.

The agreement involves redeveloping The Mere in Cheshire which at present is a 157-acre resort that offers 81 guest rooms, an 18-hole championship golf course and wellness facilities.

On completion of an extensive restoration, redesign and expansion programme, Fairmont Cheshire The Mere will open in Q3 2024 with 120-bedrooms, including 27 suites.

The resort will retain its championship 18-hole golf course, and host a number of wellness and culinary concepts too.

Manchester-based Leach Rhodes Walker Architects have been appointed to the project, as have London-based Bergman Design House for the interior design aspect on which they will collaborate with Accor’s luxury design and technical services team.

Mark Willis, CEO of Fairmont Hotels and Resorts, said: “The Fairmont brand is known for its timeless grandeur, magnificent architecture celebrated addresses with heartfelt service and, as such, is a natural partner for The Mere. In partnership with Select Group, our combined vision will create a property which will set a new standard for luxury hospitality in the North West of England.”

A historic hall at Mere can be traced back to 1086 and features in The Domesday Book. In 1834, the ‘New Hall’ was built close to the Mere by Peter Langford Brooke. Unfortunately, a fire destroyed much of the Club House in 1973, which was subsequently rebuilt.

The hotel was in local ownership under the Boler family from 1984 until 2022 when it was acquired by Select Group, helmed by Manchester-born Rahail Aslam.

“We are pleased to grow our strategic partnership with Accor and excited to add the Fairmont brand to our extensive international portfolio of hospitality developments. We look forward to rebranding the iconic The Mere Golf Resort and Spa to Fairmont, reinforcing the property’s positioning as the luxury hotel of choice for both business and leisure travellers,” said Select Group’s founder and CEO, Rahail Aslam.

This new opening will join Fairmont’s other golf resort in the region, the Fairmont St Andrews and Carton House, a Fairmont Managed Hotel in County Kildare, Ireland.

Fairmont Cheshire The Mere will also be the fifth Fairmont property in the UK and Ireland, other notable ones being the The Savoy – A Fairmont Managed Hotel in London and the Fairmont Windsor Park which opened last year.

This article originally appeared on Business Traveller Middle East