A quarter-of-a-century since creating one of the most successful luxury hotels in Britain, Sir Peter Michael and family are to hand over the ownership of The Vineyard Hotel to Apex Hotels, another family hotel business founded by Norman Springford in 1996.

Apex Hotels are making a strategic move into the country house market and have the scale and resources to allow The Vineyard to continue on its journey.

The Vineyard is Apex Hotels’ third country house hotel following the recent purchase of Pine Trees in Pitlochry and Meldrum House Country Hotel and Golf Course in Aberdeenshire.

Apex Hotels, a family-owned hospitality business own 10 hotels across a UK wide portfolio, including city centre properties and rural resorts and hotels.

The Vineyard Hotel opened on the outskirts of Newbury, West Berkshire, in 1998 and soon became a multi-award-winning hospitality venue and a magnet for lovers of fine wine and great food. The Vineyard’s high quality has continued throughout, and was most recently recognised with the award of the newly created One Key by the Michelin Guide.

Throughout the 26 years of ownership, two generations of Sir Peter’s family have invested the passion, energy and resources required to run a family-owned establishment of such standing. With its cellar of 30,000 bottles and 3,000 bins, Jancis Robinson described it as, “a temple to wine from California” and Andrew Lloyd Weber said, “Stay for a week and read the wine list”.

Now, with a generational change and their recent opening of The Post at nearby sister establishment, Donnington Valley Hotel, the Michael family have decided the time has come for new owners to take on The Vineyard and develop the next chapter in its life.

Sir Peter Michael commented: “My wife Maggie and I wanted a local Michelin star style of restaurant and there was nothing in the area offering this so ‘The Vineyard at Stockcross’ was born. We look forward to continuing to enjoy this special place under new ownership and wish Apex Hotels and the Springford family as much joy and success as we have witnessed over many years.”

Managing Director, Andrew McKenzie, who has been at The Vineyard since opening added, “The family and I have lived and breathed The Vineyard for over 26 years so this will be a huge wrench. We will miss our many regular guests but even more so our fantastic team. What is reassuring is it is going to a good home; I have known Norman for many years and the fact that he and his leadership group have a great reputation for running excellent hotels and, more importantly, looking after their teams, gives us great comfort.”

Angela Vickers, CEO of Apex Hotels said: “It is with great pleasure that we announce the purchase of The Vineyard; this is a significant step in our journey to diversify our portfolio and create more choice for our guests.

“We have huge respect for what Sir Peter Michael and his family have achieved at The Vineyard over the years and, as a family business ourselves, we recognise the dedication, hard work and passion that goes into creating a first-class venue such as this. We look forward to taking on the reigns of this fantastic hotel and wish Sir Peter and his team all the best for the future.”

The Vineyard is an esteemed member of Relais & Chateaux and PoB Hotels and includes a stunning five red star country house hotel, a luxury private spa and award-winning fine dining venues, including The Tasting Room, presided over by Chef Tom Scade. As a red star hotel, The Vineyard has been elected by the AA as one of the best hotels in the British Isles.

The Hotels team at Colliers acted on behalf of Sir Peter and his family and found the buyer as part of a carefully controlled confidential sale process.   The confidential marketing was handled by Julian Troup, Head of UK Hotels Agency and fellow Director Peter Brunt at the commercial real estate firm. Peter commented: “The Vineyard is a special hotel I have been privileged to have known the Michael family and Andrew McKenzie for many years. When they asked us to advise on a sale process we were confident that its many qualities would draw in a buyer who would be excited to take on and continue to develop the business. I am looking forward to seeing Angela and her team at Apex continuing the evolution of this wonderful hotel.  The hotel market continues to respond well to quality opportunities like this one. ”