Art’otel London Battersea Power Station located within Battersea Roof Gardens and managed by Park Plaza Hotels has officially opened with 164 bedrooms and a rooftop restaurant and bar plus a swimming pool, gym and spa, a Grand Café and an Art Gallery. The hotel has six meeting and events suites across two floors which can host up to 250 guests.
IHG Hotels & Resorts strengthens its grip on the UK market with the addition of nine new hotels. These include: Hotel Indigo: Hotel Indigo Exeter with 104 bedrooms is now open. Hotel Indigo London – K West Shepherd’s Bush with 255 bedrooms is expected to open in 2026. voco Hotels: voco Lythe Hill opens in Surrey this spring with 60 bedrooms. Holiday Inn: Holiday Inn Manchester Oldham has opened with 73 bedrooms following a full refurbishment. Holiday Inn Sunderland, a new-build with 120 bedrooms is now open as is Holiday Inn Manchester Airport with 280 bedrooms. Holiday Inn Express: Holiday Inn Express Fleet in Hampshire is now open with 76 bedrooms. The new Holiday Inn Express & Suites Halifax opens at the end of 2026 with 106 bedrooms in the centre of the town. Staybridge Suites: Staybridge Suites Brighton has just opened with 101 bedrooms. The final tally: IHG Hotels & Resorts now has 348 open and 18 pipeline properties in the UK.
Development work will be starting shortly on a revamp of Lancashire County Cricket Club’s Emirates Old Trafford stadium. The Red Rose Suite is to be replaced with a new six-storey block which will also house a 100 bedroom extension to the existing 150 bedroom Hilton Garden Inn Hotel.
Norton Park Hotel in Hampshire, part of the QHotels Collection, has just completed a major refurbishment, both of the main hotel plus the 16th century Manor House in its grounds. A 17th century Tythe Barn, also located in the hotel’s grounds, has also been upgraded and is now equipped with the latest technology for both private and corporate events. Norton Park Hotel is located in Sutton Scotney on the outskirts of Winchester, around eight miles from Winchester station.
The first Soho House in the North of England is set to open in Manchester in May this year. It will be located within the former Granada Studios in the heart of the city. Soho House Manchester will comprise a members’ club on the top two floors, overlooking a rooftop pool and outdoor terrace. On the first floor there will be an extensive members’ gym. Across the remaining floors there will be members’ events spaces and bedrooms with various spaces for members to eat, drink and socialize. The group’s motel and diner brand Mollie's is also due to open a 140-bedroom unit onsite on the lower floors of the Granada Studios building. Granada Studios are located in Quay Street in the heart of Manchester, a short walk from Manchester’s Piccadilly, Victoria and Oxford Road stations.
Planning permission has been secured for a new 52 rooms aparthotel on the upper floors of the Grade II-listed Market Chambers in the St Mary Street Conservation Area in the heart of Cardiff.
Amidst all the new openings we have one closure, albeit temporary, to report: Best Western Premier Yew Lodge Hotel in Kegworth, Derbyshire has been taken over by the Home Office for exclusive use.
Latest Conference Venue news includes: Unity Place is Santander Bank’s new £150 million UK headquarters. It opens in late spring in Milton Keynes. It will be a centre for digital banking innovation and will also incorporate a range of community facilities including a conference auditorium for 300 guests, a restaurant and a sky lounge plus a range of community facilities. Further details to follow.
The Fitzwilliam Hotel in the centre of Belfast has just opened a new meeting and events space being marketed as BYOM – that’s Bring Your Own Meeting i.e. walk in and connect automatically to cameras, mics, speakers and sound bars – seating up to 22 delegates boardroom style.
Unique Venues of London has just added Frameless to its collection of venues this month. Frameless, near Marble Arch, offers a permanent multi-sensory experience with four galleries and state-of-the art projection technology ‘showcasing some of the world's greatest works of art in ways never seen before’ – Frameless can offer a range of facilities for private events from hiring the entire venue to their dedicated event space: Blank Canvas.
Finally, from Easter this year the Postal Museum in London is exhibiting its first King Charles III's new definitive stamp in a special, exclusive exhibition. It will be the first time a new monarch has been featured on stamps for 70 years. You will find the museum plus meeting and events space in Phoenix Place, less than a mile from Kings Cross St Pancras Station in central London.