The Barclay brothers were expected to sell the Ritz Hotel in London to a consortium of Saudi Arabian families.
The sale was forecast to be the first in a series in London, as the capital continued to attract overseas buyers, despite falling yields.
The Barclay brothers were thought to be looking for raise around £750m from the sale of the hotel, which they paid £75m for in 1995 and have since spent around £40m refurbishing.