Cohort Capital, a private lender active across the UK and European property markets, has provided a £96 million senior loan to refinance two high-quality hotels — one in London and one in the North of England. Both are four-star city-centre properties, together offering 510 beds, and are positioned in locations described as “well insulated from fluctuations in the hospitality market.”
The deal supports a wider restructuring for the ownership group, involving four UK hotel assets with a combined value of £240 million. The objective, according to Cohort, is to enable future growth and repositioning in a sector that has continued to see rapid capital deployment and operational change post-pandemic.
Matt Thame, founder of Cohort Capital, said: “These are strong performing assets in locations well insulated from fluctuations in the hospitality market. The ownership team has a clear growth vision, and we are pleased to support them. In today’s lending environment, flexibility and speed are vital but are qualities traditional lenders often struggle to offer. Our private capital backing and experienced team allows us to act decisively and deploy capital swiftly.”
Cohort Capital’s latest transaction comes as private and alternative lenders have taken a growing share of the UK hotel debt market, following a period in which mainstream banks have pulled back from riskier segments of real estate finance. According to recent industry data, non-bank lenders now account for more than a third of new UK hotel debt, up from less than a quarter five years ago, as sponsors seek faster and more flexible capital solutions.
The lender has now deployed over £300 million in hotel loans, including a £73 million facility for the NoMad Hotel in London’s Covent Garden, and expects to close a further £150 million in lending this month — £70 million of which is likely to be in the hospitality sector in Central London. Cohort says its deal pipeline currently exceeds £350 million in new hospitality financings across the UK and Europe.
“This latest deal demonstrates our ability to provide bespoke capital solutions at pace,” Thame added. “We are pleased we could step in to deliver a fast, tailored refinancing solution that met the borrower’s objectives. We remain open to new opportunities, with a healthy and growing pipeline of over £350 million in new hospitality deals currently under review in the UK and Europe.”
Since launching in 2020, Cohort Capital has deployed £1.3 billion of capital across a diverse range of real estate sectors, averaging loan execution times of just 15 days. This approach — prioritising speed, flexibility, and sector focus — has allowed it to deepen its footprint in competitive segments such as UK hospitality, at a time when operational performance and deal execution remain front of mind for hotel owners.
