Atom bank supports London hotel reopening with £2.4m funding

Atom bank has completed a £2.35m commercial mortgage to facilitate the reopening of a central London hotel.

The case was introduced by Gindy Mathoon, senior mortgage and protection adviser at broker Create Finance, while legals were delivered by Kimberly Crossman, commercial property solicitor at Square One Law.

The hotel, located in Mayfair, had been closed for more than five years, following the impact of the Covid pandemic.

The new owners had struggled to raise the funding required to reopen.

The bank said that other lenders who were approached by Gindy were uncomfortable with the hotel sector generally, as well as the buyers’ perceived lack of experience in the industry.

However, after carrying out extensive due diligence, Atom bank was able to structure a deal that worked for all parties and has allowed the hotel to resume business.

Spencer Ford, BDM at Atom bank, commented: “The hotel sector is a complicated one, and that alone can put off some lenders, but it’s an area in which we have built a formidable reputation.

“Similarly, other lenders struggle when the borrower doesn’t have extensive experience, but as a lender on the side of SMEs, we prefer to focus on ways to make deals work rather than find reasons to walk away.”

Gindy added: “This deal had a few quirks and hurdles, and as a result I had a straight ‘no’ from around nine lenders.

“Atom was willing to get into the details of the case and saw the potential.

“Spencer was brilliant on this deal, making himself available whenever needed, and providing a good sounding board on the various complications involved.

“Atom bank as a whole helped us come up with solutions to problems, rather than fixating on them.

“The rate was fantastic and the client is delighted as the hotel is now back up and running — you can’t ask for more from a commercial lender.”