GROUP NEWS:
Best Western: Best Western Leicester Oadby has officially joined the Best Western portfolio of hotels -with 30 bedrooms, a restaurant and bar.
Dalata Hotel Group: is planning to open a new four-star Maldron Hotel on Hammersmith Road in Kensington, adjacent to Olympia London exhibition centre. It will be the group’s seventh hotel in London. Scheduled to open in 2029 it will include 370 bedrooms and suites, a restaurant, bar, gym plus business and meeting facilities.
Hilton Hotels: - Refurbishment work is taking place upgrading 90 bedrooms at Hilton London Paddington. The hotel, designed by engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, opened in 1854 and forms part of the Paddington Station complex. Hilton Northampton has just hosted an immersive launch event to mark the hotel’s extensive £2.9 million refurbishment which has seen all 144 bedrooms and suites upgraded and the addition of a new wellness suite.
Hyatt Hotels: The first Park Hyatt Residences in the UK is set to launch in London later this year. Set on the banks of the River Thames in Nine Elms it will feature 103 residences. It will sit alongside Park Hyatt London River Thames with all its facilities at the disposal of its residents.
LyvInn Hotels: The German-based hotel group has published plans to expand in Britain following a successful year in Germany. It is negotiating on a range of properties targeting a total of 14 hotels by 2029, with a mix of freehold and leasehold properties in major cities throughout Europe including London.
Marriott Hotels: The former Kings Hotel in Kings Road, Brighton has been rebranded as the Four Points Flex by Sheraton Brighton, following completion of a major refurbishment by Marriott International, its new owner. The hotel has 95 bedrooms, a restaurant and bar and two meeting rooms accommodating up to 100 delegates.
Radisson Hotel Group: boasts a history of responsible business stewardship with ethical business practices. With this in mind it is promoting the ethical sourcing of ingredients, including cage-free eggs across its portfolio. The Group claims that switching to cage-free egg supplies on a global scale will benefit the lives of hens and ensure that the welfare of animals raised for food remains a high priority.
SevenStay Aparthotel group: have just opened their third aparthotel in Liverpool – in Old Hall Street. It joins SevenStay’s other Liverpool sites in Bold Street and Fleet Street. It has 44 serviced one and two-bedroom apartments plus a gym and a café which will be opening shortly.
The Competition and Markets Authority: (CMA) has launched an investigation into suspected sharing of competitively sensitive information among competing hotel chains: Hilton, IHG Hotels and Marriott.Hotel news from around the country starting iLONDON: Six Senses London: is a new hotel which has just opened in the former Whiteleys department store in Bayswater in central London. It features 110 bedrooms plus 14 branded residences, a lobby bar and lounge, an all-day dining restaurant with an open kitchen, a gym and swimming pool plus 12 treatment and consultation rooms.
TOGETHER: is a new London-based meeting, conference and events facility opening in Wood Street in the City of London in March. The space, with natural daylight, will accommodate up to 500 delegates theatre or 270 cabaret style and benefits from natural light across the entire floor. It is equipped with fully integrated Tech and AV including a 9 metre LED wall as well as a catering facility.
The Webster: is a new American-based lifestyle brand hotel about to open its first UK hotel in London this summer. It opens in Covent Garden with 167 bedrooms and suites, a restaurant, a speakeasy bar, a terrace restaurant plus three meeting rooms with the largest seating up to 160 delegates.
BOURNEMOUTH: Queens Hotel & Spa in Bournemouth reopens this month following an extensive refurbishment. The hotel has 109 bedrooms and suites, a restaurant and bar, wellness and spa facilities plus two meeting and events spaces and a garden accommodating up to 150 guests.
BATH: The Francis Hotel, Bath has just opened a new spa facility. It marks the final phase of the hotel’s £14million refurbishment of the Georgian hotel in the centre of Bath.
LIVERPOOL: The ACC Liverpool Group has announced a major rebranding to reflect ‘its evolution from a single venue into a diverse campus of brands’. It will be come Convention Centre at Liverpool Experience Campus plus the Exhibition Centre at Liverpool Experience Campus and the M&S Bank Arena. The launch of the new identity is planned for mid-April.
MANCHESTER: The Stock Exchange Hotel in Manchester adding a further 95 bedrooms by converting space in a building opposite the hotel. In addition, the hotel extension will include three ground floor meeting and events suites as well as a café and bar, a boutique gym plus a spa. A launch is anticipated early in 2027.
CHS Manchester is a major event industry trade show launching on September 30 at the city’s AO Arena. It will include 250+ UK and European venues, destinations and suppliers and it will feature fringe events including venue tours and evening experiences all showcasing Manchester's events scene. The latest list of exhibitors include: QEII Centre London, Allianz Stadium Twickenham, Manchester Central, Hilton, Marriott Hotels, De Vere, Liverpool Convention Bureau, Legacy Hotels and Resorts, Meliá, Dakota Hotels, Countrywide Hotels, Horwood House, The Ned, the AO Arena, Marketing Manchester and VisitScotland.
PRESTON: Plans are still ongoing to convert the former Park Hotel in Preston into a 92 bedroom hotel with 239 apartments. The site, formerly the headquarters of Lancashire County Council, has been empty since 2011. We will monitor developments.
WALES: Y Seren is a new 23-bedroom hotel and restaurant in Llangunnor, Carmarthenshire. Based in a former care home, the hotel opened at the end of last year and features a restaurant and bar plus an events suite for up to 90 people and a gym.
SCOTLAND: The Wellington Glasgow by Adina, is a new apart-hotel which has recently opened in Wellingrton Street in the centre oF Glasgow with 98 serviced apartments. It marks the UK debut of Australian-based TFE Hotels group and their flagship Adina brand. Rooms include a fully equipped kitchenette with microwave. A grab-and-go breakfast is available if preferred.
The Amorist is a new luxury hotel which has just opened in the centre of Dunfermline. Located above a bistro bar on High Street, the hotel has 18 bedrooms, a restaurant and a bar.
Television personality and winner of the ‘Celebrity Traitors ’programme, Alan Carr, has purchased Ayton Castle in the Scottish Borders and plans to turn it into a luxury hotel and spa. The castle is located in 160 acres of grounds with 17 bedrooms plus its own 600m-long miniature railway line. Further details to follow.
We will be back in April with the latest hotel and conference venue news from around the country.