Hotels in Belgrave Road Torquay

ONE of Torquay's best known hotels has been bought up by an expanding Bay holiday group.

The Kistor Hotel, owned at one stage by Mark Jenkins from TV's The Hotel, has been bought by the privately-owned Duchy Hotel Group.

The group, which owns the Palace and Queens hotels in Paignton, and the Headland Hotel in Torquay, is investing £2million in completely reinventing the hotel in Belgrave Road.

With an interior which is already partially demolished, the group plans to create a modern hotel 'fit for the 21st century'.

The hotel had 64 letting bedrooms in total, all with en-suite facilities and was on the market after being closed for more than a year.

Kim Furness, operations director of the Duchy Hotel Group, said they did not expect to be able to get it reopened until autumn 2016.

It is part of a major investment by the group in its hotels.

"After the great success of the new grand lounge at the Headland Hotel, and with work about to start on the new spa there, when this opportunity came up we seized it because with much of the interior demolished, it is basically a shell and we can really put our own stamp on the hotel.

"We will be aiming for a high three star.

"The rooms will be the size we want, all the bathrooms for example and every piece of furniture will be new.

"It's in a great location, next to the seafront and the new Abbey Crescent complex.