The Shamoon family, owner of the famous MC (Marbella Club) Hotel Group, has acquired the historic Tophams Hotel at 24-32 Ebury Street in Belgravia through their newly launched UK venture Imperial Hotels London.

The Netherlands headquartered MC (Marbella Club) Hotel Group has a collection of outstanding hotels and resorts in key city and resort destinations internationally including the world-famous Marbella Club Hotel, the Group’s flagship. The Group generates income by managing and developing hotels and leisure outlets and selling branded private residences in properties within the group portfolio.

The new Imperial Hotels London is an acquisition vechicle which will acquire and develop hotels, branded residences and leisure outlets in prime central London in Mayfair, Knightsbridge, Belgravia, Chelsea and Kensington.

MC Hotels Founder Daniel Shamoon, said: “London is a premier world-city so we are actively acquiring property in the heart of the capital despite the market being very strong as we see continued growth and opportunities in the real estate and luxury hotel sectors.”

Located behind an elegant white-stucco facade, the Tophams hotel was originally five adjoining mansions built in the late 1820s by Thomas Cubitt and architect William Wilkins as part of the Grosvenor estate. In the early1930s they were combined into a single luxury hotel owned by the Topham family and known as The Tophams Hotel. With its country house ambience, the hotel was a favoured destination for generations of guests, and was frequented by authors and local residents Ian Fleming, of James Bond fame, and Vita Sackville-West.

Ian Fleming (1908-1964) lived at 22b Ebury Street between 1934 to 1945. The Tophams and Dukes Hotels were regular haunts of Fleming who would order martinis from the bars, something he would incorporate into hisJames Bond novels and the classic Bond phrase, “shaken not stirred”. In Bond novel Moonraker Ian Fleming even made Ebury Street the London home of super-villain Sir Hugo Drax, and in the book, Bond chases Drax down Ebury Street past the Tophams Hotel, all the way down onto the A20 to Dover.

The Tophams hotel currently has 50 bedrooms, including family rooms and junior suites, complete with a main lobby, reception/lounge areas, restaurant and bar, with an interior design and specification undertaken between 2006-2008. Whilst the hotel retains its existing management, Imperial Hotels London will investigate options for the future redevelopment of the property.