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Published: 14 March 2025

Latest Group News:

IHG Group: has purchased the Ruby Hotel brand which features ‘a premium urban lifestyle’. The group operate 20 hotels currently in Europe, the majority of which are in Germany, but is aiming to increase that total to 120 worldwide over the next decade - with a hotel in Edinburgh scheduled to open within the next three years.

IHG Group has introduced its midscale brand, Garner Hotels, to the UK. Garner Hotel Preston Samlesbury is the first in the UK - just off M6 junction 31. It has 80 bedrooms over three floors, a bistro restaurant, several conference and events spaces and a fitness suite.

 voco Zeal Exeter Science Park is now open. It’s IHG's first net zero carbon hotel. It has 142 bedrooms, a restaurant and bar, a mini gym, gardens and one meeting space for up to 10 delegates.

Radisson Hotels: The group is planning to open a new 401 bedroom Radisson Blu hotel at Manchester City’s Etihad stadium set for a 2026 opening - part of Manchester City’s £300m stadium development.

Zedwell Hotels: The Criterion Capital group plan to expand their Zedwell Hotel brand into York, Manchester, Edinburgh and the City of London – all part of a masterplan to operate 8,500 rooms by 2028.

The group has just launched its fourth Zedwell hotel in London’s Knightsbridge. It joins existing London units in Piccadilly Circus, Tottenham Court Road and Greenwich.

Staycity Group: is another hotel brand with expansion in its plans. They are looking to open new properties in London, Oxford and Cambridge – in effect tripling their size over the next five years. The group has two aparthotel brands, Staycity Aparthotels and Wilde -  its lifestyle  branded units. The group currently operates a total of 36 aparthotels across the UK and Europe.

Hyatt Hotels:  have opened Hyatt House  Leeds and Hyatt Place Leeds  a 12 storey hotel complex with 305 bedrooms.

 The group has plans to open several more new hotels in the UK, including:. Hyatt Regency London Olympia opening in early 2026 and Hyatt Place London Paddington opening in late 2026. Finally, Hyatt Centric Haymarket Edinburgh opening in late 2026.

Hyatt Hotels has launched Hyatt Select - a new upper-midscale brand designed to meet the needs of modern traveler. The hotels will have between 70 and 200 bedrooms and will include a complimentary breakfast plus a 24/7 self-serve, grab-and-go market. No plans to open in the UK have been published yet.

Hotel Gotham: plan to open in Bristol in Autumn 2025, with 75 bedrooms, a restaurant, spa and a  rooftop terrace bar.  Hotel Gotham Newcastle is planning an autumn 2025 opening in the Old Fire Station with 60 bedrooms with The Police Station side of the building opening in late 2025, with 30 additional bedrooms.

Travelodge:  has opened a new 59-bedroom hotel in Bromley town centre, in south-east London.

Village Hotels: planning to add 33 bedrooms at Its Ashton-under-Lyne Hotel. The group is aiming to add a further 20 hotels to its collection by the end of 2025.

Other Hotel News:

The Belfry Hotel in Sutton Coldfield is planning a September opening for their new Master Suite - the centrepiece of a major expansion at the hotel featuring 852sqm of events space accommodating up to  648 guests, pre-function space and an outdoor terrace. 140 new bedrooms plus a new leisure and fitness club are part of the hotel’s expansion plan.

Orida Hotels: The former DoubleTree by Hilton Newbury has resurfaced as the Orida Hotel Newbury - located just over 10 minutes from central Newbury with 113 bedrooms.

Estelle Manor country house hotel in Oxfordshire has launched a dedicated 540 sq-mt events space with three meeting areas, two bars and a double-height Grand Room.

Plans have been unveiled for a new five-star hotel in Liverpool. It is part of a £1bn King Edward development scheme linking the city's business district with the waterfront. Two hotels are envisaged with up to 400 bedrooms. A planning application is anticipated in the next few weeks. More details to follow.

The Grade-II listed former headquarters of Oxfordshire Council in Oxford are to be converted into a new hotel when the County Council relocate offices in spring 2027.

RIBA at 66 Portland Place, home of the Royal Institute of British Architects, will temporarily close from this June 2025 for a two-year restoration of the building which will see enhanced events spaces.

A new automotive-themed hotel - The Bicester Heritage - is planned near Silverstone in Oxfordshire. It will be based on a former RAF base and will include 252 bedrooms plus a 92-unit aparthotel. No proposed opening date has been published yet. The hotel will include a restaurant and bar, gym, swimming pool and sauna plus bedrooms with views across the airfield and race track.

Park Hall Resort and Spa in Preston has become the first in the UK to adopt an AI concierge. Guests will be able to call on the hotel’s artificial assistant who will work alongside hotel staff.

Finally,  Conference News magazine is reporting on the rise of non-hotel conference venues. They argue that whilst hotel ballrooms have historically served as a go-to venue for planners of large conferences and events many other venue spaces give planners alternative options to “wow” guests with the flexibility they provide and the unique atmospheres they offer. 

In addition, whilst hotels typically have rigid guidelines around what can and cannot be brought into event spaces - venues, on the other hand, are more flexible.

Non-hotel spaces can provide a unique atmosphere making the event feel fresh and exciting. They are often located in convenient, metropolitan areas, always in the heart of a city’s business or entertainment district, near public transportation.

Some venues such as sport-focused ones also have spaces for conferences and corporate day delegate meetings with mini-golf courses for example, and sporting greens for team building under the same roof.

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Published: 15 February 2025

Hotel Group News Update: 

Hilton Hotels Group:

Hilton added 973 hotels and nearly 100,000 rooms to its worldwide portfolio in 2024, the single biggest increase in rooms.

Tapestry Collection by Hilton - the first in Northern Ireland is set to open in Portrush spring 2025 with 80 bedrooms in a town which will also host the 153rd Open Golf Championship in 2025,

Spark: is a new branding from Hilton aimed at the Travelodge end of the market. The second Spark hotel in the UK opens in Luton this month. Spark Luton will have 87 bedrooms and a premium location close to the railway station with its direct link to central London.

Admiralty Arch Waldorf Astoria, London: you will have to wait until next year for Hilton's first Waldorf Astoria in London, the hotel is expected to open with 100 bedrooms in 2026.

IHG Group:

Holiday Inns: Holiday Inn Wrexham – with 87-bedrooms - is expected to open in early 2025.

Holiday Inn Express: New hotels opening this year include Holiday Inn Express Reading Oxford Road – with 104-bedrooms. The hotel is scheduled to open in the second half of 2025 in the centre of Reading. The group is also set to launch its new ‘Holiday Inn Express Generation 5’ public space design following research into guest behaviour, the future of work, entertainment, wellbeing, food and drink plus digital experience. It will make its debut in the new Holiday Inn Express Riyadh opening next year with ten Holiday Inn Express properties in the UK set to follow.

Hotel Indigo London K West Shepherds Bush opens with 252 bedrooms in Spring 2025, the group’s the sixth Hotel Indigo in London. Meanwhile, The Cosmopolitan Hotel is set to open as Hotel Indigo Leeds in spring 2025 with 107 bedrooms, situated in the centre of Leeds.

Six Senses: the brands first opening in the UK – it opens on Queensway in west London with 109 bedrooms in the first half of 2025.

Accor Group: Set to open Adagio Original London City East in the first half of 2025, the brand’s 9^th aparthotel in the UK and 4th property in London - with 132 studios and apartments.

Britannia Hotels: Have acquired the Crowne Plaza Felbridge close to London Gatwick airport.

Best Western Hotels: have published a five-year plan which aims to add 100 hotels to their UK hotel portfolio. Major Northern cities are being earmarked as target locations.

World Hotels: Hotel Velvet and Hotel 47, both in Manchester, are joining its luxury WorldHotels Crafted brand. The group represents Great Britain’s largest group of independent hotels and includes Best Western.

Radisson Hotels Group: The group now incorporates: Radisson, Radisson Blu, Radisson RED and Prize by Radisson. The group is specializing in sports and events-related hospitality. It has opened The Bolton Stadium Hotel, a member of its Radisson Individuals collection. Radisson RED London Twickenham Stadium is set to open in 2025 with Radisson RED Birmingham Edgbaston Stadium set to open in 2027. Radisson Hotel Group added almost 40,000 rooms to its global portfolio last year.

Immersive Hospitality Management: a rebranding from Corus Hotels – the group is set to open two hotels in the UK. The recently totally refurbished Burnham Beeches Hotel in Buckinghamshire is the first property in this new branding. A second hotel will follow later this year (or early 2026) in central London in partnership with Marriott – more details to follow in due course.

Marriott Hotels: London Marriott Hotel Marble Arch is set for refurbishment of all 240 bedrooms across its 12 floors with additional rooms planned. No dates yet for when the work is due to start and finish. Meanwhile London Marriott Hotel County Hall opened 35 new river-view rooms and suites on 1^st January. Marriott International Hotels added a record 123,000 guest rooms to its portfolio last year.

Jurys Inns / Leonardo Hotels: The group have acquired London's four Grange Hotels and renamed them: Jurys Inn London Holborn, Leonardo Royal Hotel London St Pauls, Leonardo Royal Hotel Tower Bridge and Leonardo Royal Hotel London City.

Oberoi Hotels and Resorts: Plan to open their first UK in 2025 – a 20-bedroom property on London's Brook Street, Mayfair, opposite Claridge’s hotel.

PIG Hotels group: There are currently nine PIG hotels in the UK. A tenth – The Pig on the Farm, is scheduled to open near Stratford on Avon is autumn 2025.

Staycity Group:  The Irish-based group is aiming to triple in size over the next five years. The group recently opened in London's Dalston with 124 apartments. It is planning to open Wilde aparthotels in Cambridge and London, with another site in Oxford under development.

Village Hotels: The group is planning to upgrade 50% of their portfolio including bedroom and facilities extensions. The former Crowne Plaza site at Caversham Bridge in Reading is set to be converted into a Village Hotel property. Construction will soon start on extensions to Village Hotels in Ashton, Manchester and Solihull, with an additional 48 bedrooms in each.  As well as looking to acquire new hotels, Village will also be upgrading more than half its portfolio, which will include extensions to bedrooms and other facilities, refurbishments to existing bedrooms and upgrading leisure and fitness offers. Ultra rapid electric vehicle charge points will also be installed across all Village’s 33 UK locations.

Zetter Hotels: The Zetter Bloomsbury Hotel in Seymour Street, central London, will be the group’s first new opening in 10 years. Opening autumn 2025, the hotel, previously the Grange White Hall hotel, will have 68 bedrooms plus a restaurant and private dining facilities. It will join Zetter Marylebone and the Zetter Clerkenwell in the group.

Finally, The Times is reporting that the ‘British hotel industry went into overdrive in 2024’ recording a record number of deals. In the final three months of the year 87 hotels with more than 12,800 rooms changed hands with the greatest activity coming in London.

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Published: 13 January 2025

We start as usual with an update of London-based hotels before moving north. We finish this brief update with news from some of the major conference and events venues in the UK

News from London:

Six Senses London, the first UK site for IHG’s luxury Six Senses brand will open in March with 109 bedrooms and suites and 14 branded residences within what was once The Whiteley London department store in Bayswater. The hotel will feature an all-day dining restaurant with an open kitchen plus a courtyard. It will also feature 3,500 square feet of fitness space with a 20-metre indoor swimming pool, a ‘wellness club, as well as coworking spaces.

The Newman Hotel is expected to open this summer – located in Newman Street in Fitzrovia In central London. It will have 81 bedrooms and suites, a brasserie restaurant and bar, a spa and two meeting and events suites. We will advise actual opening date when it is published.

Australian-based budget hotel group LyLo is planning a launch of its pod hotel concept in London. Details of when and where in London await publication but the LyLo concept offers hostel-style accommodation with onsite co-working, social and wellness spaces, especially for younger, budget-conscious traveller. We will monitor developments.

Plans to convert a hundred-year-old former school building in Penn, Buckinghamshire into a luxury hotel have been approved. The Grade-II listed Penn School will become the Rayners Penn Hotel, with 33 bedrooms and suites, a meeting room, cinema, wine room, fine dining restaurant, cookery school and a wellness spa. Further details to follow in due course.

The Crowne Plaza Reading closed at the end of the year. It will now undergo an extensive refurbishment before reopening as a Village Hotel Club. The 33-strong hotel and leisure club operator acquired the site at Caversham Bridge last year.

The 5-star Hotel Gotham opens in Bristol in autumn 2025. It will be housed in the Guildhall on Small Street – a building which has been closed since 2010. Hotel Gotham will have 75 bedrooms and suites, a spa and a rooftop terrace bar. Details of meeting and events facilities to follow in due course.

The Treehouse Manchester is one of the most eagerly awaited new hotel openings of the year. Expected to open in early 2025, The Treehouse Manchester will be located on Deansgate in the city centre with 224 bedrooms and suites, two restaurants as well as a panoramic rooftop bar, meeting and events facilities for up to 400 guests including a private screening room. We will advise the opening date when it is published but bear in mind the original opening date was scheduled for 2022 and it has been moved back ever since.

News and developments from major UK conference venues

A new conference centre is currently under construction as part of Olympia’s £1.3 billion redevelopment in central London. Set to open in late spring 2026, the conference centre will include an 850-seated capacity auditorium, eight breakout rooms, a boardroom, business lounge and a private hire bar and restaurant. The 3,000 sq-mt of space is designed for a variety of events from theatre-style conferences to award ceremonies. It will also be connected to the existing four exhibition spaces for larger event configurations. It will have its own dedicated entrance on Hammersmith Road.

The Belfry Hotel & Resort Sutton Coldfield. Developments include the new Masters Suite (852 sqm), which can host up to 920 delegates with views across the Brabazon golf course plus 149 new bedrooms. It is expected to open autumn 2025.  Existing facilities include 319 bedrooms and suites, 2 restaurants and bars, 22 conference and events suites, a leisure club and spa plus a PGA golf academy.

The Sage Arena and International Conference Centre (ICC) is a new development on the banks of the River Tyne in Gateshead. It will include: a 12,500-capacity arena, 5,720 square metres of exhibition space, 17 conference rooms and a banqueting suite.  It is scheduled to open autumn 2025.

In our brief roundup of major conference and events venues we have included Marine Lake Events Centre  (MLEC) on Merseyside although it is not scheduled to open before 2026. The Events Centre replaces the former Southport Theatre and Convention Centre. It will include a 1,200-seat theatre, a 2,400-capacity conference and exhibition space, plus smaller meeting rooms a café and restaurant. More details to follow in due course.

Also, on Merseyside Everton Football Club’s new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock in Liverpool is expected to open at the start of the 2025/26 football season in late summer this year. It will have a 52,888-seat capacity and will be available for concerts, large events and conferences – as well as the occasional football match. Details of the spaces available and their capacities await publication.

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Published: 28 February 2025

We start our monthly hotel news update in London before moving south and then north.

The Welbeck Hotel has just opened in Welbeck Street, in central London. It is near to Harley Street and fittingly has close connections with the medical professions offering health-focused amenities. The hotel has 164 bedrooms and suites, a restaurant and bar, a fully equipped mini gym plus six dedicated meeting rooms seating up to 20 guests and events spaces for up to 60 delegates.

Miiro will be opening their fourth property in the world in April in London’s Kensington, a short walk from Earls Court Exhibition Centre. The Templeton Garden Hotel will have 156 bedrooms, a restaurant, cocktail bar and a state-of-the-art gym.

Plans have been approved for a new capsule hotel at Elephant & Castle in London.  Operated by CoDE Concepts, the hotel will include 568 capsule pods, a rooftop co-working lounge and gym. It will be located within walking distance of Elephant & Castle station and is expected to open in 2027.

The future of the Chiltern Firehouse Hotel in central London is in doubt following a major fire which has closed the five-star hotel in Marylebone.

Britannia Hotels Group has acquired the Crowne Plaza Felbridge close to London Gatwick airport.

The spa brand Nirvana Collection will open its first hotel this Spring. They are transforming former halls of residence for military officers in Sindelsham, Berkshire into a 49-bedroom hotel, with a restaurant and bar - to be operated as part of the Nirvana brand. The hotel will be the first property for the group, which runs the Nirvana Spa in Sindelsham. The building is a Grade-II listed property which dates back to the 1600s.

Estelle Manor in Oxfordshire has launched Fallow House, a dedicated 540 sq-mt events space at the centre of the 85-acre estate. It has two floors with three meeting areas, two bars and a double-height Grand Room. The largest room will seat up to 100 delegates.

Holiday Inn Gloucester-Cheltenham has completed a refurbishment of its health club and gym.

The Hyll is a new hotel due to open in the North Cotswolds this summer in a Grade-II listed 17^th century manor house. It will be the first Hyll Hotel under the ‘Madfabulous Hotels’ grouping apparently named after the old English word for an elevated position. The Hyll will have eight bedrooms in the main manor house with 14 additional rooms and four suites in an adjoining former outbuilding. Early next year the owners plan to open new catering space for both private and corporate events. More details to follow.

The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) has confirmed that work is expected to start on the new Radisson Red Hotel at Birmingham's Edgbaston Stadium in September and will complete in time for the men’s Ashes Test against Australia at Edgbaston in 2027. The hotel will feature a rooftop restaurant and bar, 146 bedrooms of which 85 will feature pitch-facing balconies and some fully convertible into hospitality spaces.

Park Regis Birmingham has launched a new visitor experience enabling guests and meeting bookers to have a show round of the hotel without the need to step inside the venue. It’s a concept – ‘Hyybab’ – which is described as “fully immersive” empowering bookers, planners and buyers to sample the sights, sounds, tastes and smells of a location, from the comfort of their home or office.

Treehouse Hotel Manchester, part of SH Hotels and Resorts, will officially open on 19 March - with 224 bedrooms and suites, an event space for up to 400 guests plus private meeting rooms, a screening room, restaurant and gym. It is located on Deansgate in central Manchester.

The Lowry Hotel in Manchester has just joined Millennium Hotels and Resorts’ Leng’s Collection of independent properties. Situated on the banks of the River Irwell in central Manchester, The Lowry Hotel has 165 bedrooms, a restaurant and bar, a fitness centre and spa, a grand ballroom seating up to 400 guests and seven meeting rooms seating between 35 and 90 delegates.

Plans have been approved to build a new Hampton by Hilton hotel in St Helens on Merseyside. It will have 120 bedrooms over four floors, a restaurant and bar, fitness facilities and ground floor meeting rooms. No proposed opening dates have been published. 

In Blackpool, plans have been approved to convert a former post office, a Grade II-listed building in Abingdon Street, into an Indigo branded hotel with 148 bedrooms. Further news on the development to follow.

In Northern Ireland, Ten Square Hotel in the centre of Belfast is set to undergo a major refurbishment before its rebranding later this year as DoubleTree by Hilton Belfast City Ten Square.

The Resident Edinburgh: The group’s sixth UK property is now open and is situated on Drumsheugh Gardens in Edinburgh’s West End. It features 164 bedrooms, a range of meeting spaces with the largest room seating 30 delegates theatre style,  as well as public spaces including a library and lounge with a double fireplace.

This month sees the opening of Seaton House Scotland’s newest five-star hotel. It is located near the first tee and the 18^th green of the Old Course at St Andrews, which will host 155th Open at St Andrews in July 2027. Seaton House will have 42 luxury bedrooms and suites – some with sea views, others with garden view, some with their own private terrace.  There will be two meeting rooms accommodating up to 180 and 60 delegates theatre style respectively.

AC Hotel by Marriott Glasgow on George Street in Glasgow City Centre have published plans to retore the historic Victorian Collectors Hall alongside. It will form a new events space for the four-star hotel. The Hall will accommodate up to 120 guests for a meeting or exhibition. It will have its own private entrance, a canopied courtyard, an exclusive bar and restaurant plus private dining space for up to 14 guests. Development work has already started. We await details of the proposed opening date.

Finally, Marriott Hotels: and Manchester United Football Club are inviting the Club’s Most Passionate Fans for a ‘Once-in-a-Lifetime Stay’ in The Captain’s Suite inspired by ‘Legend’ - Gary Neville. They will meet the player, sleep over in the Marriott Hotels’ Suite of Dreams at Old Trafford and take in the matchday experience of the Manchester Derby. Can’t wait? – then check out the Marriott website.

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Published: 31 January 2025

We start as usual with an update of London-based hotels and conference venues before moving north. We end with a brief outline of 11 new hotels planned to open in the Capital before the end of 2025.

Marriott is set to open its first St Regis branded hotel in the UK this Spring. The St. Regis London, previously the Westbury Mayfair Hotel, is currently undergoing a major multi-million-pound refurbishment. It will open on the corner of Conduit Street and Bond Street with 196 bedrooms and suites, a signature restaurant, speakeasy jazz bar, fitness centre and spa plus two meeting rooms seating 100 and 80 delegates respectively.

Ergon House Hotel is a new hotel opening in Covent Garden, London in late 2025. It is the Greek hotel brand’s first hotel outside Greece. Located in King Street, the hotel will have 20 bedrooms, a rooftop restaurant and a gym as well as a marketplace where local tradespeople can bring farm-to-table produce to visitors.

The five-star Dukes London hotel in London’s Mayfair has closed temporarily for an extensive refurbishment of all 90 bedrooms and suites, the restaurant, drawing room, meeting spaces and gym. It is set to reopen in late 2025.

Six Senses – a wellness-focused hotel brand, part of the IHG group of hotels, is making its UK debut in London this Spring. It will open in The Whiteley London - close to Hyde Park. It’s a restored ‘iconic London landmark art deco emporium’, with 109 bedrooms and suites and 14 branded residences, plus events spaces, an all-day dining restaurant with an open kitchen and a seating area in the courtyard.

IHG group will be opening The Welbeck Hotel in the heart of London’s Marylebone in February. The hotel will feature 164 bedrooms and suites, a restaurant and bar, a mini-gym plus six meeting and events suites seating up to 60 delegates.

London Twickenham Stadium Hotel, currently a member of Radisson Individual group, is rebranding to Radisson Red Twickenham in March following completion of a refurbishment. The hotel has 156 bedrooms including six suites overlooking the rugby union pitch at Twickenham Stadium, a restaurant, bar and eight meeting rooms with the largest seating up to 350 delegates. Radisson Red Twickenham hotel is six miles from Heathrow Airport.

Expect an opening this summer of The Newman, in London’s Fitzrovia. It will have 81 bedrooms and suites in an Art Deco styling - some with private balconies - plus an all-day restaurant, a spa and fitness facility plus two private event and dining rooms.

The Natural History Museum in South Kensington is adding its new Garden Kitchen to its listing of venue hire space available for day-hire and evening events. The Garden Kitchen will accommodate up to 300 delegates standing or 100 seated for dinner - and opens directly into the museum’s new Evolution Garden.

The Georgian mansion house and former home of the In and Out Military Club, in Mayfair, London is set to reopen later this year as Cambridge House, Auberge Resorts Collection – with 102 bedrooms and suites, restaurants, two heated swimming pools, seven treatment rooms and a  gym plus a range of meeting and events suites – details and capacities of which await publication.

The Spa Hotel close to the centre of Royal Tunbridge Wells in Kent is set to complete a major expansion project to upgrade its spa facilities with thedition of a new wellness space. The hotel, set in 4 acres of grounds, has 70 bedrooms and suites, a restaurant and bar and 8 meeting rooms with the largest seating 250 delegates theatre style. Existing leisure facilities include an indoor swimming pool and gyms.

Spark is a new branding from Hilton aimed at the Travelodge end of the market. The second Spark hotel in the UK opens in Luton this month. Spark Luton will have 87 bedrooms and a premium location close to the railway station with its direct link to central London.

The Pedn Olva in St Ives in Cornwall is part of St Austell Brewery’s hotel portfolio. It is set to undergo a major refurbishment inspired by the building’s past as the former engine house for a nearby copper mine. The hotel’s reception, restaurant, pub and all 26 bedrooms will be refurbed. This is due for completion in early summer.

Holiday Inn Gloucester-Cheltenham has completed a major refurbishment of its health club and gym.

The latest new Pig Hotel is expected to open in 2025. The Pig on the Farm will be located just south of Stratford-Upon-Avon in a mid-16th century listed stone-built Manor House set in 53 acres of Warwickshire farmland. Full details and capacities await publication but expect around 20/30 bedrooms with a restaurant and bar and a number of private dining rooms which can be used for meetings.

A summer 2025 opening is anticipated for Mollies Manchester, a northern outpost of London-based Soho House which will be located in Manchester’s Old Granada Studios. Billed as ‘a great place to do business. breakfast meetings, incentive lunches, office away-days and team-building weekends’ it will have 128 bedrooms and suites.

The new Hyatt Place & Hyatt House Leeds opens in March - located in Sovereign Square, a short walk from the Leeds station. Hyatt Place has 217 bedrooms, a restaurant and bar, plus a rooftop restaurant, an on-site fitness centre and four meeting rooms accommodating up to 50 delegates. Hyatt House offers apartment-style studios and suites for longer stay residents.

The Old Fire Station in Pilgrim Street, Newcastle on Tyne has undergone a major refurbishment and is set to open as Hotel Gotham Newcastle in Spring 2025. The hotel will have 87 bedrooms, a restaurant and bar plus meeting facilities in the former Court Rooms. These are expected to accommodate up to 120 delegates. Also in Newcastle on Tyne, an April opening is planned for the new Dakota Newcastle located in St. Ann’s Wharf. A waterfront location offering some of the largest hotel bedrooms and suites in the city. It will have 118 bedrooms, a meeting room for up to 60 delegates plus a library and two private dining rooms.

Plans to convert a listed former office building in Castle Street, central Edinburgh, into a 28-bedroom boutique hotel have just been approved. Further details to follow. Staying in Edinburgh, The Hoxton Edinburgh is a new hotel anticipated to open mid-2025. It will be based in 11 Georgian Townhouses in the Haymarket district of the city with a range of accommodation options, a restaurant and meeting spaces. Further details to follow.

Apex Hotels have acquired the Pine Trees Hotel in Pitlochry - a 4-star 32-bedroom classic Scottish country house hotel set in 10 acres of secluded gardens. The group, currently with eight city centre hotels, has now secured finance to forward its expansion into rural locations. 

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Briefly there are 11 new hotels planned to open in the Capital before the end of 2025.

Templeton Garden Located in Earls Court with 156 bedrooms, as well as a cafe-meets-deli, a restaurant, cocktail bar and a state-of-the-art gym.

The Newman, London Located in London’s Fitzrovia with 81 guest rooms and suites, a European brasserie, cocktail bar, and a dedicated wellness floor.

Montcalm Mayfair Montcalm Collection will relaunch the Montcalm Marble Arch this Spring as Montcalm Mayfair, following its two-year closure undergoing a full renovation - with 150 guest rooms, including three signature suites. a spa, four treatment rooms, a plunge pool and a fully equipped fitness suite.

The Zetter Bloomsbury Located near Russell Square and overlooking the British Museum, the hotel will comprise 68 bedrooms and suites, and a number of bar and events spaces.

Cambridge House, London Auberge Resorts Collection, a luxury hospitality brand making its UK in Mayfair with 102 bedrooms, a members’ club plus an open-air jasmine courtyard.

The Chancery Rosewood Opening in Grosvenor Square in the building that was formerly the U,S. Embassy in London. With 144 rooms and suites, plus dining venues, meeting and event spaces.

Six Senses London The first UK site for IHG’s new branding opening on Queensway with 110  bedrooms and suites, an all-day restaurant and open kitchen plus fitness space with a 20-metre indoor swimming pool.

The Other House Covent Garden Opens with 146 bedrooms and Club Flats with kitchenettes and an all-day street café in Covent Garden.

The St Regis London Located in Mayfair and currently undergoing a £90 million redevelopment, it will open with 196 bedrooms and suites, a restaurant, a speakeasy jazz bar, a fitness centre and spa.

Sir Devonshire Square Sircle Collection are set to launch the Sir Hotels brand in Devonshire Square in Liverpool Street with 81 bedrooms, an outdoor botanical courtyard, yoga studio and gym.

House of Gods Canary Wharf The first London site for the Scottish-based group. It opens with 78 bedrooms within the 12 Bank Street development. It will include a music venue, events space and a rooftop bar overlooking Eden Dock.

Details

Published: 01 January 2025

Welcome to 2025 with a brief outline of some of the new hotel and meeting venue developments you can expect this year. We start in London as usual and then head northwards.

The new Radisson RED London Twickenham Stadium is set to open in 2025 following a full refurbishment of the hotel. As well as accommodating the world’s largest rugby stadium, it will also include 150 bedrooms, restaurants and bars plus 10 meeting and events suites. Opening date to be advised.

The Montcalm Marble Arch is planning a Spring 2025 opening in central London. It will feature 150 bedrooms and suites, a restaurant, bar, a grand ballroom to seat 300 guests plus fitness facilities and a plunge pool. Meeting and events facilities to be advised.

The Wesley Euston, located a stone’s throw from London Euston station, has just completed a refurbishment of its reception area. The hotel with 100 bedrooms and 17 meeting and events spaces is one of the largest and most accessible meeting and events hotels in London.

A spring opening is planned for The Newman Hotel located in Newman Street in London’s Fitzrovia. The hotel will include 81 bedrooms and suites, a restaurant, bar and fitness facilities plus two private event and dining rooms. Confirmed opening date to be advised.

Hilton Hotels are now planning to open Admiralty Arch Waldorf Astoria, London Hotel in 2026. It will be the group’s first Waldorf Astoria brand in the UK and was originally scheduled to open in 2022 which was then moved to late 2025. Further details to follow.

The Barbican Centre in London has secured a multi-million-pound funding package which will see the Grade-II listed arts, conference and events centre in London fully refurbished to provide improved facilities for conferences and events. Refurbishment work, still subject to planning approval, is expected to start in 2027 with completion in time for the Barbican’s 50th anniversary in 2032.

Budget hotel group, B&B HOTELS, has just launched its first UK hotel at London Heathrow. The group acquired Arora Park hotel last year. They have now refurbished and relaunched it with 119 bedrooms, a breakfast room and free Wi-Fi throughout. The hotel is serviced by the Hotel Hoppa shuttle bus to all Heathrow terminals.

The Francis Hotel in the centre of Bath is planning an autumn 2025 relaunch following completion of a £13million refurbishment. The Francis Hotel, part of the Sutton Hotel Collection, has 98 bedrooms and will feature a fully refurbished restaurant and bar, a new Snug described as a ‘Gentleman’s Lounge with feminine touches’ plus Thermae Bath Spa home to the UK’s only existing natural thermae spa experience. 

The Charlton Boutique Hotel in Charlton Kings in the Cotswolds has submitted plans for a complete refurbishment. The hotel currently with 12 bedrooms wants to build a three-storey annexe for an additional 32 bedroom.

Albrighton Hall Hotel & Spa, now a member of Radisson Individuals collection and located just outside Shrewsbury, has completed a £2.5 million refurbishment. The hotel is an 18th-century manor house with 87 bedrooms, a restaurant and bar plus a full-service spa and fitness suite. The hotel has seven flexible events spaces with the largest seating up to 300 delegates.

Park Hall Hotel & Spa just outside Chorley in Lancashire is now a member of Radisson Individuals grouping. This follows an extensive refurbishment including a new  state-of-the-art spa and gym facilities. The hotel has 140 bedrooms, restaurants and bars plus four event spaces accommodating up to 700 guests.

The Saltmoore is a new hotel which opened in December on an 85-acre estate in Whitby, North Yorkshire. It has 72 bedrooms, a restaurant, bar and leisure facilities. It has been dubbed: “a luxury nature-based retreat”.

Into Wales:

The new Abersoch Hotel on the Welsh coast is planning a soft launch in January 2025. It will be operated by Bespoke Hotels and will include 42 bedrooms and suites, a restaurant and bar with sea-view terraces, a gym and spa plus meeting rooms.

Into Scotland:

The former Scores Hotel at St Andrews Golf Course in Fife- the closest hotel to the first tee on the oldest golf course in the world - is set to reopen in February 2025 as Seaton House. It will include 42 bedrooms, six suites and three junior suites, a restaurant and bar plus two meeting and events suites with the largest seating up to 180 delegates.

The Crossbasket Castle is a new luxury hotel opening in Blantyre, on the outskirts of Glasgow in March 2025. It will include 40 bedrooms, a restaurant and cocktail bar plus a new spa. Meeting rooms include the Grand Hall seating 350 delegates theatre style plus five meeting rooms seating between 20 and 110 delegates theatre style.

Hotel du Vin Edinburgh has just completed a £1.2 million refurbishment project. The bedrooms have all been upgraded, together with upgrades in the hotel kitchen. Next in line for the group’s refurbishment programme is Cannizaro House in Wimbledon, about to undergo an extensive transformation in early 2025.

We finish in Northern Ireland: The first Tapestry Collection by Hilton in Northern Ireland is set to open in Portrush in summer 2025. It will have 80 bedrooms and suites, a restaurant, bar and fitness facilities. It will have good access to the Bushmills Whiskey Distillery and the Giant’s Causeway on the Atlantic Coast. Portrush will also be hosting the 153rd Golf Open in 2025.

We wish all our readers a very happy, trouble-free and prosperous New Year.