Five-star luxury spa retreat Luton Hoo Hotel, Golf & Spa is due to be redeveloped under the premium Fairmont Hotels & Resorts brand following a recent deal between Accor and Arora Group.

Located in the leafy Hertfordshire countryside, Luton Hoo was acquired by Arora – one of the UK’s leading hotel owner-operators – from Elite Hotels back in December 2021.

Dating back to 1601, the 228-room estate spans 1,100 acres of land on the border of Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire counties. Beyond the historic facade of the Mansion House, today stands a five-star country house hotel and spa.

This week, Arora inked a deal with Accor to conduct a multi-million-pound redevelopment and rebrand of Luton Hoo over the next few years for which the vision is to bring “the hotel to new levels of luxury, unparalleled in the area”.

As part of the overhaul, the spa will be given a comprehensive makeover. Wet area specialist Barr + Wray has been appointed to provide spa interiors and technical design services for the project.

The deal marks the second partnership between Arora and Fairmont, following the opening of Fairmont Windsor Park and its comprehensive spa and wellness facilities in January 2022.

“We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to partner again with Arora, building upon our tremendous success at Fairmont Windsor Park,” said Sébastien Bazin, Accor chair and CEO. “This is an exciting project, truly a piece of history in this region, and we’re honoured that Arora has entrusted it to Fairmont.”

With more than 90 destinations around the globe, Fairmont is known for its grand properties, many of which are steeped in rich history.

The hotel will join Fairmont properties across the UK and Ireland, such as The Savoy, A Fairmont Managed Hotel, in London; Fairmont St Andrews in Scotland; and Carton House, A Fairmont Managed Hotel, in Ireland.

Surinder Arora, founder and chair of Arora, commented: “We’re incredibly proud to bring the prestigious Fairmont brand once again to Arora’s portfolio of hotels. Over the last decade, our estate has grown significantly, and we’re excited to have this historic hotel join our other flagship properties.

“Luton Hoo’s heritage is exceptional with previous guests including Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip spending part of their honeymoon there and Sir Winston Churchill who gave his famous post-World War II speech to a crowd of 110,000 people.

“Building on our existing expertise with the brand at Fairmont Windsor Park, we cannot wait to commence the redevelopment and bring this stunning hotel back to its full glory and potential.“