Martin Rogers, Head of Knight Frank Hotels Division who advised Von Essen said: "The acquisition of these two internationally famous hotels fits perfectly with the existing Von Essen portfolio and provides opportunities to reposition some existing hotels into the Cliveden Group".

Cliveden was built by the second Duke of Buckingham in 1666 and rose to prominence in the last century as the home of Britain's first woman MP, the American socialite Nancy Astor. It also achieved notoriety in the 1950s when the mistress of the then British War Minister, John Profumo, was found cavorting there with a suspected KGB agent. Today the property is a luxurious five-star country hotel with 38 suites.

The Royal Crescent Hotel in bath is another five-star hotel. The property occupies the centre of one of the finest Georgian terraces, and today provides 45 rooms.