Group news:
IHG group: has acquired the Munich-based Ruby Hotels group – their 20th branding in the UK. There are currently three hotels in the UK and IHG is planning to expand its coverage over the next few years with a new hotel already planned in Edinburgh.
Garner Hotels has become IHG’s fastest ever brand to open globally since its August 2023 launch. Garner Hotel Preston Samlesbury was the first in the UK opening in March 2025. The grouping is now celebrating reaching 100 open hotels.
Resident Hotels: the privately-owned independent hotel company is to rebrand as The Sirius Hotel Group with plans to add 20 plus hotels to its portfolio in the next five to ten years.
Room2 Hotels: A new 200-bedroom room2 hotel is scheduled to open in the former Leeds International Swimming Pool in Spring 2028. The 17-storey hotel will feature a mix of studios, plus one- and two-bedroom suites, a restaurant and bar, leisure facilities plus meeting and events space.
Marriott Hotels: is to introduce Series by Marriott in Europe in collaboration with Splendid Hospitality Group. The project covers eleven hotels, with five in the UK including three in London: in Earls Court, Euston and Kings Cross. The branding aims to provide modern, comfortable accommodation with ‘grab and go’ food and beverages options.
Zedwell hotel group is planning to convert 1 Princes Street in the City of London into a flagship hotel. The Grade II-listed building constructed in 1929 was the headquarters of National Westminster Bank. Its neighbours include: The Royal Exchange, the Bank of England and Mansion House. More details to follow.
Hilton Hotels group: continues to grow its lifestyle-brand portfolio. The New Continental Plymouth, Tapestry Collection by Hilton is the latest addition. The building, dating from the 1860s, is one of Plymouth’s oldest buildings. The new hotel will include 120 renovated bedrooms and suites plus a restaurant and bar, a fitness centre and meeting facilities. It is scheduled to open in spring 2027.
Point A Hotels: is planning to open its second Edinburgh hotel on St Andrew Square in July 2026. This budget boutique hotel will be housed in a ‘listed building of architectural significance’ and will include 148 double rooms and 58 twin rooms over six floors plus a breakfast room, and bar.
Other Hotel news:
The five-star The Landmark London hotel in Marylebone, has unveiled its newly renovated collection of Marylebone suites. ‘The 48 suites draw inspiration from the hotel’s British heritage while introducing a more contemporary residential aesthetic’.
Onefifty Fenchurch is a new luxury, 33-apartment boutique aparthotel which has just opened in Fenchurch Street in the City of London
Hotel Gotham in Manchester has been sold to new owners who are planning a major refurbishment followed by a rebranding to The Rex Hotel. The hotel with 60 bedrooms and suites first opened in 2015. The Art Deco building in King Street originally opened in the 1930s as a banking headquarters.
The Royal Carlton hotel on Blackpool’s seafront has been converted into a luxury boutique hotel and renamed The Glass Tower following a major £15million refurbishment. It reopens in April with 38 bedrooms, a new restaurant and bar.
The former Lock and Key Hotel housed in a Grade II-listed Georgian townhouse in Duke Street in Liverpool city centre has reopened following a major refurbishment. It is now the Duke Street Boutique Hotel with 26 new-look bedrooms The hotel is around a 10-minute walk from the Royal Albert Dock Liverpool, The Beatles Story and the M&S Bank Arena Liverpool.
Plans have been approved for a multimillion-pound redevelopment of the former Judges Country House Hotel near Yarm in Stockton-on-Tees into a five-star boutique hotel and spa hotel with a restaurant plus events facilities.
Finally, ‘Conference News’ has just published its latest industry statistics. They reveal the growing economic impact of corporate events in the UK with business event spending rising faster than inflation in the UK, plus delegates staying longer. All of which generates £19.3 billion of direct expenditure. The UK now hosts more than 1 million conferences and meetings annually. Interestingly, international business event delegates spend up to four times more than domestic attendees.
That is the good news, unfortunately the UK hotel sector had a lacklustre February, with flat demand and high staff costs hitting operating profits. This is only set to get tougher as tensions in the Middle East continue, according to RSM UK Hotel Tracker.
We will be back with our next hotels and venues update on 1st May.