Ramsay makes London hotel debut with RBS

GORDON Ramsay, the Scottish celebrity chef, is making his first foray into the hotel sector with the opening of the York and Albany in London.

The boutique hotel in Camden will include one of two restaurants the Michelin-starred chef is opening in the city with backing from Royal Bank of Scotland.

He is also launching a fine-dining Italian restaurant, the Murano in Mayfair, and both establishments will be run by Ramsay's long-time colleague, Angela Hartnett.

Gordon Ramsay Holdings will open its first restaurant in the Netherlands at The Pulitzer Hotel in Amsterdam.

This latest development in the growing Ramsay empire follows his moves into the United States over the past two years, including the Gordon Ramsay at the London, Maze and Bar London restaurants in New York, and the Gordon Ramsay and Cielo restaurants in West Hollywood and Florida.

The company has also invested in three London pubs, The Narrow in Limehouse, The Devonshire in Chiswick and The Warrington in Maida Vale.

The chef has a restaurant in Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport, Gordon Ramsay's Plane Food, designed by New York firm Bentel & Bentel.

RBS has structured a refinancing facility to support Gordon Ramsay Holdings' day-to-day liquidity requirements. The package provides treasury solutions as well as working capital and capital expenditure facilities for future growth opportunities.

Ramsay said: "This is an exciting year for Gordon Ramsay Holdings as we continue to expand both in the UK and globally. The York and Albany is our first foray into hotels and Murano will confirm Angela Hartnett as the UK's most accomplished female chef. I'm delighted that RBS can support us on these amazing projects."

Mark Cattle, head of the Leisure Team at RBS, said the package would give the company a secure platform. "The business strategy has proven to be very fruitful," he said.