The four-star, 14-bedroom hotel in St Saviour’s had been in the family since it opened in 1973.
‘We are incredibly excited to be taking over such a cherished Guernsey landmark,’ said Matt Polli, Randalls managing director.
‘The Farmhouse has a well-deserved reputation for excellence, warmth, and individuality, qualities that align perfectly with our values. We look forward to building on the Nussbaumer family’s outstanding legacy and continuing to deliver the exceptional hospitality The Farmhouse is known for.’ The sale price has not been disclosed.
Mr Polli said the company would continue to operate the venue as a hotel ‘in the spirit that has made it so popular’, and had no plans for significant changes.
Randalls itself was bought by a group of local investors in March this year. CI Hospitality, a group put together by Ravenscroft Capital, said then that there were plans to grow the Guernsey-based hospitality business, which brews, distils and supplies some of the Bailiwick’s most popular drinks, as well as owning and managing more than 20 establishments across Guernsey, Alderney and Sark, including The Rockmount, Slaughterhouse, a dozen tenanted pubs and the Bel Air in Sark.
The only other hotel in its portfolio is the Imperial Hotel in Torteval, and other moves in such a direction have not been ruled out.
‘We are always interested in investing in hospitality in Guernsey where we feel we can add value and the investment aligns with our strategy,’ said Mr Polli.
Originally built as a 15th Century working farm, La Hougue Fouque Farm Hotel was opened in 1973 by Toni and Margaret Nussbaumer, who ran the business alongside the Dolphin Hotel, now The Doghouse, and the Cobo Bay Hotel, before handing over the reins to their son David in 1999.
In 2006, after a refurbishment, it was relaunched as The Farmhouse Hotel and Restaurant.
The Nussbaumer family sold The Doghouse to a Guernsey investment company for nearly £2m. in April and it is due to close as a venue at the end of the year.
David Nussbaumer’s son Jamie, a director at family company Nut Tree Ltd, said the sale of The Farmhouse would allow the company to invest in the Cobo Bay Hotel.
‘We have big plans for the redevelopment of the hotel,’ he said. ‘Phase one has already started and we hope to be submitting exciting and substantial plans for approval in the next few days.’
The 34-bedroom, three-star hotel on the west coast, well known for hosting the popular balcony gigs, is currently closed until the end of March and Mr Nussbaumer said this pattern would be repeated for the next few years.
‘We will be open in the summer but will be closed from around October each year so works can continue,’ he said.
‘It is a bittersweet day, as the sale of the Farmhouse, which has been in the family for three generations, is one that allows us to see a bright future for Cobo Bay.’
Randalls also yesterday revealed that it has plans to reopen KoiKoi, a former bar in Lefebvre Street that it bought in October 2024, under the name of Cygnet.
