Two prestigious hotels in Cornwall, which were part of a group which went into administration last winter, have been sold.

The Metropole Hotel in Padstow and the Fowey Hotel in Fowey have been sold on behalf of joint administrators.

The Metropole was marketed with a guide price of £10m and the Fowey Hotel was marketed at £5.5m.

The four-star hotels, which were part of the Richardson Group, have been purchased by Harbour Hotels for undisclosed sums in excess of the guide prices.

Ed Jefferson, from Colliers International which marketed the hotels, said: ‘The Metropole Hotel and the Fowey Hotel are unique landmark venues in premium locations, which have excellent development potential.

‘They are a perfect addition to the Harbour Hotels group, which is renowned for its collection of prestigious hotels in prime sites in coastal, country and city locations around the south of England.

‘We experienced unprecedented demand for these assets from around the world, from a variety of interested parties. The region is now very much on the map for top level hoteliers.’

The Fowey Hotel looks over the Fowey estuary. It has 37 en suite letting rooms, of which 24 have sea views, and the bar and restaurant and well-tended gardens also have good views.

Both hotels have continued to trade on a business as usual basis following the administration with the joint administrators being Mark Boughey and Matthew Wild of RSM Restructuring Advisory LLP 

Mike Warren, managing director of Harbour Hotels, said: ‘We are very excited to be taking the Harbour brand further into Cornwall. Both Fowey and Padstow are popular, well-known locations making the hotels great acquisitions for us. We are really excited to have the group expand across the Westcountry.’