Castles and luxury property targeted by new Chinese wealth
Over the past year, China's expanding wealthy classes have been increasingly buying castles, or luxury suites in castles that have transformed into elegant hotels. This year, UK-based luxury property broker, Barrasford and Bird Worldwide, have﻿ sold 19 castles to Chinese buyers so far, who are often looking to use the residences as a private club for their clients. Rooms and suites in converted castles are increasingly the most popular, as the investment is not so huge, and owners of the suites can use them either as a holiday home or rent out for use as hotel accommodation when they are not there. One example is the castle Highland Tay Retreat in Scotland, which was recently converted into a luxury golf and spa resort, and has proved popular with Chinese buyers and tourists.

Up to 19 castles have been sold to mainlanders this year, with many other Chinese buyers snapping up luxury rooms and suites in properties that have been transformed into elegant hotels