Celebrating 25 years of success at RBH

This week marks a significant milestone in RBH’s history as we celebrate 25-years since operating our very first hotel. We’re incredibly proud of our journey from the opening of Holiday Inn Heathrow in 2000 under our former name, BDL Hotels to rebranding as RBH in 2018 and being recognised as a leading UK independent hotel management company.

Since the doors opened at Holiday Inn Heathrow, RBH has managed over 200 properties across the hotel chain scale ranging from economy, upper upscale and luxury as well as managing a range of independent hotels. 

We have celebrated some incredible milestones over the past 25-years as RBH continues to diversify and grow its portfolio. Holiday Inn Heathrow marked our first opening and new build project but also the beginning of our long-term partnership with IHG Hotels & Resorts, having operated 77 hotels across their portfolio to date.

We entered the independent hotels sector in 2008 through the opening of The Bedford Swan; the debut of Aloft Liverpool kicked off our valued partnership with Marriott in 2014, and we then made moves into the luxury & lifestyle segment when guests began to check in at The Gantry London, CURIO Collection by Hilton in 2021. Further expanding our luxury portfolio, we recently announced the signing of The Edinburgh Grand, which we will operate under Marriott’s The Luxury Collection, becoming the brand’s first property in Scotland and a flagship opening in the UK.

Building strong partnerships has without doubt been a key driver in how we got to where we are today. We seek partners who share our values, and this approach has shaped our identity over the past 25 years. We are proud to have supported independent operators and some of the world’s biggest hotel companies, having operated across an impressive 27-brands in partnership with the likes of Accor, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, IHG Hotels & Resorts, Marriott International and Wyndham Worldwide.

Our expansion into the independent hotel space has seen us operate nearly 80 independent branded properties, with 25% of our portfolio currently falling in this segment. Each of the properties we have managed have played an important role in our story demonstrating the breadth and flexibility of our capabilities and reflect RBH’s reputation as a trusted industry partner and a leading UK hotel operator.

Thanks to our valued teams, we have so much to be proud of over the last 25 years. Our core founding values have been at the heart of everything we have achieved at RBH, and our incredible people have been instrumental in driving the business forward, as we strive to be the partner of choice for hospitality investors. 

2025 is a momentous year for RBH. Our successes so far, plus our 25th Anniversary gives us an opportunity to reflect on RBH’s story to date. As we enter our next chapter, our partnerships and founding values remain at the core of our growth strategy. It is this foundation upon which has driven our success, and we look forward to what more we can achieve in the next 25 years.

David Hart, CEO, RBH Hospitality Management said:

“I am so proud of how far RBH has come as we celebrate our 25th year of hotel management. The strength of RBH’s market reputation today is a testament to the hard work of our valued teams, the power of our strategic vision, RBH’s partner-led approach and our core founding values. RBH is strongly positioned to enter our next period of growth across a variety of segments as we further cement our place as the leading hotel management company in the UK.”