Thistle Hotels was born in 1965 to Scottish & Newcastle. The goal of this project was to mix the traditional hospitality style of the said brand to the modern take Thistle was about to embark on, on its own. In 1989, Mount Charlotte Investments took over the ownership of the hotel chain from Scottish & Newcastle. The steal was worth £645 million. Due to some disputes with loans the Mount Charlotte Investments took for that purchase, Brierly Investments was able to snag the management of the hotel away. For £664 million, the operations were officially transferred to Brierly Investments in 1990.

That transition was significant as from 1993 to 1996, Thistle was the primary shirt financer of the Leeds United AFC. The hotel chain received great attention from that, so in 1997 the hotel was able to make it to the Stock Exchange, reaching a price of over £620 million—an attractive company to invest in. The following years after that, Thistle Hotels’ branches were slowly reduced by acquisitions of other companies. It wasn’t an issue for the organization, however. These deductions were actually their way to unify their properties as real Thistle Hotels rather than just any hotel under their wing. They now have eight hotels in Central London and one in Dorset.