The bank has provided a £1.8m loan to the group – which operates in the UK as Cambridgeshire Hotels – to support the purchase of The Dolphin and The Pike & Eel in St Ives, Cambridgeshire.

This has facilitated the creation of 11 new jobs at The Dolphin as well as safeguarding the employment of more than 70 current staff members across both venues.

It has been announced that there will also be a range of refurbishments at The Dolphin.

Cambridgeshire Hotels was created by Oklahoma-based Aston Management Company and Wembley-based Raju Karania.

Aston has 40 years of hotel and hospitality management experience, with hotels in the US operating under brands including Hilton and Marriott.

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The group spent more than a year looking for UK hotels to invest in, according to Ravi Gupta, managing director of Cambridgeshire Hotels.

“We will continue to operate these fantastic hotels as independent, family-run hotels, retaining their character while looking to make improvements wherever possible,” he added.

NatWest was introduced to Cambridgeshire Hotels through Christie Finance, who helped the group identify hotel investment opportunities in the UK.

Barry Burroughs, relationship manager at NatWest, said: “Alongside their experience and expertise, Mr Gupta and his team have a clear passion for hospitality – the fact that they have taken their time in identifying the right venues to invest in demonstrates that they have a long-term vision.”