The Alexander Hotel Collection has announced its co-founder Peter Hinchcliffe has died following a battle with cancer.
A spokesperson said: “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Peter Hinchcliffe, who founded the Alexander Hotel Collection, with his wife Deborah, in 1994. Peter had bravely battled a challenging cancer diagnosis for some time, and despite this, he was determined to still play as active a role as ever in managing the company, visiting the hotels daily until his passing on December 13, 2023.
“By his side every step of the way, his wife and co-founder Deborah Hinchcliffe supported Peter during this testing time, whilst also still managing the company. Despite the long shadow that will be cast by Peter’s death, Deborah and the senior team of the Alexander Hotel Collection are as committed as ever to preserving his extraordinary legacy and driving the hotels from strength to strength.”
The Alexander Hotel Collection was formed in 1994 with the purchase of Rowhill Grange.
Peter was a co-founder of the supermarket chain Iceland. He sold his shares in 1994 and with Deborah set about creating their vision of a hotel with a spa at its heart, with the purchase of Rowhill Grange. Today, Rowhill Grange is a 38-bedroom four-silver star hotel, where the Utopia Spa brand was born.
Peter and Deborah went on to acquire Langshott Manor and Alexander House, and subsequently named the company Alexander Hotels.
Building on the success of Utopia Spa at Rowhill Grange, the second Utopia Spa was born at Alexander House in 2006.
The hotel and spa achieved five-star status in 2012, which the property has now held for over 10 years.
In 2016, the couple went on to purchase Barnett Hill in the Surrey Hills and set about a complete top-to-bottom renovation.
Two years later, they acquired Great Fosters Estate. At this stage, the Hinchcliffes felt the time was right to evolve the company brand to become ‘The Alexander Hotel Collection’.
Following a renovation, Great Fosters was awarded five-stars in 2021. The hotel’s fine dining restaurant, The Tudor Pass has held a Michelin star across their ownership of the property.
