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UK: Real estate investment and development company MCR Property Group has launched The Kensington Collection, an independent London hospitality brand spanning boutique hotel rooms and serviced apartments.
In April 2026, MCR Property Group deployed £150 million into a London portfolio formerly operated under Maykenbel.
The collection comprises Ashburn Hotel and Ashburn Court in Kensington, Chesham Court in Belgravia, and Claverley Court in Knightsbridge. The portfolio is currently undergoing a renovation.
Tom Booth, marketing director at MCR Property Group, said: “The easy thing would have been to force these properties under a more national name. That would have been strategically lazy. Guests are buying a London stay, not a national hospitality brand.
“The Kensington Collection therefore needed its own proposition, identity, booking journey and voice. It is deliberately a standalone brand: connected to the strength and investment capability of MCR, but designed entirely around the customer. What has launched is not the final expression of The Kensington Collection. It is the first credible version of it. We will keep improving the rooms, apartments, service, photography and booking experience as we learn what customers value most.”
Booth added: “This is also only the beginning of MCR’s hospitality story. Later this year we plan to introduce a broader brand platform capable of operating nationally and, potentially, internationally. We expect to complete a number of hotel and extended-stay opportunities in the near future, so the job now is to build the brand architecture and operating discipline ahead of that growth.”
Highlights:
- Real estate investment firm MCR Property Group has launched The Kensington Collection, a standalone London hospitality brand encompassing boutique hotel rooms and serviced apartments.
- Following a £150 million portfolio deployment in April 2026, the strategic assets were acquired from former operator Maykenbel to establish the standalone hospitality platform.
- Undergoing a complete multi-property renovation, the London portfolio comprises Ashburn Hotel and Ashburn Court in Kensington, Chesham Court in Belgravia, and Claverley Court in Knightsbridge.
- MCR Property Group said it plans to launch a wider hospitality platform later in 2026, designed to support a broader pipeline of hotels and extended-stay properties in the UK and internationally.
