Starting in London, The Locke Hospitality group, have just opened Ember Locke in the borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is the group’s sixth London hotel. The hotel, formerly NH Kensington Hotel has 121 apartments over eight floors, a restaurant and bar, a stage for live performances, co-working space, a gym and private gardens. It is located in Cromwell Road.
In the North-West, The Hilton Garden Inn at Emirates Old Trafford in Manchester is set to launch a new hotel extension and events space later this year. The hotel will expand its capacity to 250 bedrooms and see the addition of a new events space. Emirates Old Trafford already includes The Point, an event space – which is column-free and has a capacity of up to 1,200. We will advise completion dates when they are published.
A new rooftop terrace from Gino D'Acampo has opened at INNSiDE Liverpool. It is located on the south side of the hotel and running the full-length of the 18th floor with views of the Liverpool skyline and the River Mersey. It features a cocktail bar for 37 guests.
Plans have been submitted to convert the Gordon Way Business Centre on Gordon Street in Southport into a 27-bedroom boutique hotel. The property dates from around 1900 and is located within the Lord Street Conservation Area. We will monitor developments.
Meanwhile, The Fragrance Group has unveiled plans to build a new four-star, £30 million hotel in Blackpool. The group plan to take over the site of the former St Chad’s Hotel on the Promenade which was demolished earlier this year and build a 184-bedroom hotel in its place. The new hotel will join The Imperial Hotel and Lyndene Hotel as fellow Blackpool hotels in the Fragrance Group portfolio.
Across the Pennines, a consultation has been launched to consider plans for a new hotel in Leeds' Kirkgate Market. The plan would see a row of vacant low-rise buildings on George Street replaced with a 143-bedroom hotel, gym and new commercial units. A full planning application is due for submission in the coming weeks. We will watch this space.
In Birmingham, a new Indo-Persian boutique hotel - The Baloci - is set to open in November, in the place of The Edgbaston which closed last year. The Baloci will have 20 bedrooms, The Zoroaster Bar and Red Bar and Restaurant offering a range of dishes from across the Middle East. It will also feature an Alexander the Great room, featuring the man, his era and his culture. The Baloci is located on the main Hagley Road around two miles from city centre Birmingham.
A restaurant group in Bristol is planning to open a new boutique hotel in the city. The Mary Le Port Hotel will open on the High Street, adjoining St Nick’s Market in a building that has remained empty for nearly ten years. Full details await publication. In the meantime, we are promised nine “opulent boutique hotel rooms” in a “beautifully restored building”.
Owners of the Nici Hotel in Bournemouth are planning to open a second hotel in Southampton reports Boutique Hotelier Magazine. The hotel would be located in Southampton’s Town Quay and would be part of a £200million regeneration plan of the Quay which would also include new restaurants and a completely overhauled marina. A formal planning application is expected in August.
Luton Hoo Hotel, Golf & Spa in Bedfordshire is about to join Accor's Fairmont brand in the UK. The five-star hotel is set to undergo a multi-million-pound redevelopment over the next few years. The hotel currently has 228 bedrooms across the estate plus Warren Pier, a purpose-built conference venue with extensive grounds and leisure facilities for all manner of team building events.
Finally, THE PIG-at Combe hotel in Devon is launching what it calls ‘stream waggons’. They are ‘beds on wheels’ situated in the valley just under a mile away from the main house offering guests the chance to ‘relish the fresh air, birdsong, and views of this beautiful setting – while still enjoying all the cosiness and comforts of the PIG hospitality’. The wagons are a 15-minute walk to the main house or a pick-up and drop off can be arranged in a PIG Land Rover. They will be opening in mid-July.