We start the latest hotel and venue news update as usual in London and the South East before heading north.
Marriott has just opened its first Four Points Express by Sheraton in the UK – at London Euston. The hotel, with 201 bedrooms and a restaurant, is located in Bloomsbury within walking distance of Euston, King's Cross, and St Pancras stations.
London’s first Park Hyatt Hotel is scheduled to open 1st October. Located at One Nine Elms, the hotel in a 42-storey tower will include a 203-bedroom Park Hyatt hotel as well as 103-room Park Hyatt-branded apartments. It will include restaurants and bars, a luxury spa, ballroom plus meeting and events facilities.
Ellen Kensington is a new 105-bedroom hotel opening in London in September – on the site of the former Burns Hotel. Ellen Kensington will have 105 bedrooms and suites, a pan-Asian restaurant and bar plus a gym and spa. The hotel overlooks Barkston Gardens in Kensington.
Hilton has announced the signing of Hampton by Hilton London Heathrow Bath Road - the brand’s debut at the airport. The hotel will have 157 bedrooms with on-site parking. It is a short drive from Heathrow Airport Terminals 2 and 3, with easy access to central London via the Elizabeth Line.
Plans are afoot to convert a former police station on Streatham High Road into a 57-room boutique hotel. The police station, built in 1921 closed in 2015 because it was no longer meeting the force’s needs. We will monitor developments.
PPHE Hotel Group has received planning permission for a new 15-storey hotel development in London’s South Bank - the fifth PPHE property in the Waterloo area. Plans outline a 186-bedroom hotel, along with two floors designated for office and light industrial space plus a ground floor restaurant and bar. The ground floor will feature a public area with an all-day dining bar and cafe. We will monitor developments.
Radisson Hotel Group has opened The View Hotel Folkestone in Kent. It is a four-star boutique hotel, part of Radisson Individuals hotels. It has 46 bedrooms many with sea views plus The Cliffe Lounge Bar & Kitchen. It has good access to the M20 motorway, close to Folkestone station and is just five miles from the Eurotunnel’s UK terminal.
THE NICI Hotel opened on the West Cliff in Bournemouth in 2022 with 91 bedrooms, a luxury spa and multiple dining options. Operators are now planning a £20million investment in the property which will see the venue expand as a five-star, 100-bedroom hotel with meeting and events facilities.
Also in Bournemouth, Marriott Hotels Group is planning to fully refurbish the Collingwood and Kerley Hotel buildings which lie on the same grounds as the Bournemouth Highcliff Marriott Hotel. The two buildings include 41 bedrooms, a gym, meeting rooms and an executive room.
In Birmingham, a new indoor interactive clay shooting experience is opening shortly in Birmingham’s Piccadilly Arcade. Clays Birmingham will include a fully digitised clay shooting game for up to 25 people, alongside a food and cocktail menu. Piccadilly Arcade is located in New Street in central Birmingham, a two-minute walk from Birmingham New Street station. It is expected to open in late 2024.
Several new developments in Liverpool include:
Liverpool City Council have approved plans to create an 81-bedroom hotel at The Fruit Exchange on Victoria Street in central Liverpool. The Grade II-listed site was originally built as a railway goods depot in the late 1880’s. It was converted into a fruit exchange in 1923 with two historic auction rooms.
Plans have been published to convert The Light Box on Lower Gill Street in Liverpool, currently a student accommodation block, into a 38 bedroom hotel. Liverpool City Council will review the application.
Dalata Hotel Group has opened the Maldron Hotel Liverpool - its first hotel in Liverpool. It has 268 bedrooms, a Grain & Grill restaurant and bar, three first floor meeting and events suites with the largest room seating 90 delegates plus an on-site gym. It is located in Park Lane in central Liverpool.
Countrywide Hotels are the new managers of the Baltic Hotel, located in a former factory on the edge of the Albert Dock in Liverpool’s Baltic Triangle. The Baltic Hotel has 52 individual and ‘quirky’ bedrooms with each room following a musical theme. The hotel also features the popular Duck and Swagger pub and hosts a variety of events from pub quizzes to drag shows.
Across in Manchester, a net zero Room2 aparthotel with 251 bedrooms is planned in a new 34 storey tower block at 12-16 Piccadilly in central Manchester. The development will also include restaurants plus a café, exhibition hall and net zero museum. The application has been recommended for approval – we will monitor its progress.
We celebrate the start of the football season with news of three new venues closely linked to major football clubs:
In Bolton, The Bolton Stadium Hotel at Bolton Wanderers Football Club has joined Radisson Hotel Group’s ‘Individuals’ sector following a major refurbishment of the 125-bedroom property. 19 rooms have a pitch-side view. There is an all-day restaurant, bar and lounge plus three meeting rooms – a main room to seat up to 100 theatre style plus two boardrooms. It is a ten-minute walk from the centre of Bolton and a short train journey into central Manchester.
Staying with football, a new 400-bedroom hotel is currently under construction at Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium. It is one component of the Club’s ambition to build a year-round entertainment destination. An opening is anticipated in late 2026.
Meanwhile, DoubleTree by Hilton Sheffield City has just opened alongside Sheffield United Football Club’s Bramall Lane stadium around a mile from the centre of Sheffield. It has155 bedrooms and suites, a restaurant, bar and fitness centre. The hotel has six first floor meeting and events suites with the largest seating up to 250 delegates theatre style.
In Leeds - DoubleTree by Hilton Leeds City Centre has unveiled a full refurbishment of all 333 bedrooms – a project which started in October 2023. The new-look bedrooms feature a fresh, contemporary look paying homage to the history of Granary Wharf where the hotel is located.
In York: The Lamington Group has published plans to open its room2 branded hotel in York. room2 York, will include 116 bedrooms, a meeting space, laundry room, gym, plus a cafe and bar specialising in home cooked and locally grown food. It is expected to open in early 2026.
In Scotland - Zedwell Hotels plans to open its first hotel in Edinburgh – to be housed in the nine-storey former Debenhams store in Princes Street in the city centre. Further details to follow.
Resident Edinburgh Hotel opens on 1st September. It opens in Meldrum House, the former headquarters of Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs. The hotel has 164 bedrooms and suites. There is no onsite restaurant, but each room has an in-room mini-kitchen complete with fridge and microwave. The hotel has also linked up with restaurants around the city to offer breakfast. The hotel has one meeting room to seat 12 delegates boardroom style.
Finally some group news: The Hyatt Hotels Corporation is poised to acquire Standard International operator of The Standard and Bunkhouse Hotel brands. It will add 21 existing hotels to Hyatt’s portfolio including the Standard, London.