The Tong branch of a major hotel chain has been sold to a successful hotel entrepreneur.

Anish Bir’s purchased the Leeds Bradford Holiday Inn from Kew Green Hotels for an undisclosed sum in an acquisition supported by the Allied Irish Bank (GB).

It is the first acquisition of his new venture following 20 years in Allahabad in India, where he owned and ran a successful hotel. In the 1980s and 90s Mr Bir also owned two busy hotels in the West Midlands.

The hotel, parts of which date back to the 19th century, has 53 bedrooms, 10 meeting rooms, a restaurant and bar and is a popular wedding venue. The hotel will retain its Holiday Inn branding under the ownership of Mr Bir, who will work with the existing management team over the next 12 to 18 months whilst overseeing a refurbishment programme.

Mark Duggan, Senior Relationship Manager at Allied Irish Bank said: “Anish has a proven track record in the hotel industry gained over many years in the business and we believe that in this first acquisition under his new venture he has chosen a hotel with massive potential."

Mr Bir said: “The current business climate in the UK made this new venture a very attractive proposition for me. I’ve been looking for just the right hotel for quite some time and everything came together when I visited the Holiday Inn Leeds Bradford.

"Not only is the hotel doing very well at the moment but there is also great scope for its future. We will continue to invest in the business by starting a programme of refurbishment projects in the New Year, with the aim of securing a four-star rating once those improvements have been made.