A FIVE-star boutique hotel in West Oxfordshire has been bought by a new country house hotel company.

Owned by the de Savary family for the last six years, The Old Swan and Minster Mill in Minster Lovell has been acquired by Andrew Brownsword Hotels.

With contracts exchanged, the private deal expects to complete within a week and will see the property become the 13th in the Andrew Brownsword Hotels collection.

Andrew Brownsword said of the purchase: "We're delighted to have acquired the Old Swan & Minister Mill, adding an Oxfordshire property to our collection of beautiful country house hotels. The hotel has a great offering for both leisure guests and the events market, and we look forward to working with its team to build its reputation still further."

Paying tribute to the staff, former owner Lana de Savary said: "The Old Swan & Minster Mill is the most lovely place.

"Our loyal, passionate and enthusiastic staff, many of whom have been with us for the past six years, are the reason our thousands of guests have happy memories of their stay.

"I am confident that Andrew Brownsword Hotels will continue the attention to personal detail and further enhance the hundreds of years of history attached to the inn. I wish all the staff and the Brownsword family a very happy and successful future."

The new owners have reassured guests the inn will continue to operate as usual for the immediate future.

Andrew Brownsword Hotels is a collection of privately owned hotels. The company was founded in 1994 with the purchase of the group's first property, The Bath Priory Hotel.