Crazy Bear Hotels sold out of administration

Crazy Bear, the luxury boutique hotel group, has entered administration for the second time in less than two years, with its two properties sold to Brakspear following a failed turnaround that began with a £6.5 million management buyout through a pre-pack administration in January 2025.

Kiri Holland and Danny Dartnaill of BDO were appointed joint administrators of CB Opportunities 3 Ltd and CB Opportunities 4 Ltd on 27 October 2026. The group's hotels in Stadhampton, Oxfordshire, and Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, immediately ceased trading, resulting in the cancellation of all accommodation, restaurant, spa and event bookings. Approximately 130 employees were affected, with most made redundant and a small number retained to assist the administrators.

The administrators completed a sale of the hotels' freehold properties to Brakspear, a Henley-based pub and hospitality operator, although the transaction did not preserve the existing hotel businesses. Brakspear plans to refurbish the properties, with the Beaconsfield site expected to join its Honeycomb Houses managed estate. The company is targeting a reopening in the second half of 2027, subject to planning approvals, while considering options for the Stadhampton property. The purchase price has not been disclosed.

The administration follows a previous insolvency process in December 2024, when the business was acquired by executive director Richard Booth and managing director Tom Etridge through a £6.5 million pre-pack transaction completed in January 2025. That transaction preserved both hotels and transferred 147 employees to the new ownership. Etridge subsequently resigned as a director of the two operating companies in September 2025.

Despite the restructuring, the business continued to face financial pressures. Holland attributed the latest failure to difficult market conditions and disappointing summer trading, which undermined efforts to secure the hotels' future. The collapse came just one week after the Beaconsfield property launched Fable, a new restaurant concept led by chef Pete Gray, as part of efforts to refresh its hospitality offering. An earlier restaurant venture, Bear by Carlo Scotto, had closed in February 2026 after operating for just three months.

Founded by Jason Hunt in 1993, Crazy Bear became known for its distinctive interiors and high-end hospitality offering. Its original Stadhampton property featured 23 bedrooms, restaurants and event facilities, while the Beaconsfield hotel, which opened in 2008, offered accommodation, dining, leisure facilities and private event space.

The latest insolvency brings an end to the management-led rescue completed less than two years earlier, with the sale preserving the underlying real estate but not the hospitality operations or most of the associated jobs. The administrators have not disclosed the expected recoveries for creditors.