Independent hotelier Mark Bowley has bought the King's Arms hotel in Dorchester from Spirit Group in a deal worth £1.5m.
Bowler plans to spend a further £1m refurbishing the 35-bedroom venue, with a 24-seater fine-dining restaurant, gastropub, Italian restaurant, and banqueting and conference facilities for up to 200 visitors in the offing.
The King's Arms' past visitors have included Queen Victoria and The Rolling Stones.
Bowley is also to spend £720,000 renovating his other hotel, Little Court, by spring 2006.
