imago, the leading conference and events business based at Loughborough University, has announced that it has acquired the Compass Hotel Loughborough on New Ashby Road (formerly the Quality Hotel) and its land, approximately four acres. imago is expected to officially be in possession of the hotel on 29th January, as the contract completes. Under imago’s ownership, the hotel will be refurbished and renamed The Link Hotel, Loughborough. It joins the other venues within imago’s portfolio, including Burleigh Court, the first-class international conference centre; Holywell Park, the versatile day conference centre; plus the extensive conference and sports facilities at Loughborough University. Kay England, chief executive of imago, believes the hotel is in an excellent strategic location and therefore an obvious alliance with the growing imago brand. She said: “imago has an outstanding reputation in the hotel and conferencing industry, both locally as well as nationally, and this acquisition will allow imago to further strengthen its position within the market place as well as build on the existing successes of Burleigh Court and Holywell Park. This new site will open up a different arena and a fresh audience for imago, but will still maintain strong links back to the campus and what Loughborough University has to offer. “The hotel itself is in an excellent spot, as it is located on the main dual carriageway into Loughborough from junction 23 of the M1 motorway. It is also opposite the University’s recently acquired Science Park and will complement the SportPark building which has just opened. “We intend to manage The Link Hotel, Loughborough as an upmarket budget hotel concentrating on excellent bedrooms and customer service in a modern and focused environment. It will be perfect for business people who will look to use the location as a ‘hub’ for meetings and the accommodation for short term stays. We will be investing approximately £2 million into the property, immediately embarking on the refurbishment of all 94 bedrooms and front of house areas, including the reception, lounge and restaurant to bring the hotel up-to-date and to a modern and stylish standard.” Commenting on the reason behind the name change, Kay added: “The concept behind The Link Hotel, Loughborough was developed to implement our objective to market this hotel as a ‘gateway’ to regional, nationwide and international locations. It also intrinsically connects the hotel to imago’s other properties and will link students and their parents to Loughborough University and the outstanding facilities it offers. “The new branding will use the already established imago colours of green and purple, enforcing the sustainability, growth, creativity and energy of imago’s brand.” The hotel will remain open while the hotel is refurbished. For further information on imago visit www.welcometoimago.com, call 0845 036 4624, or follow @imagolboro on twitter.