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Published: 28 August 2024

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 1^st 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 1^st 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.

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Published: 01 August 2024

We start our monthly roundup of hotel news in London and the South-East before moving north and finally into Scotland.

Hyde London City Hotel is a new hotel opening 2^nd September in the Grade II listed 15 Old Bailey Building in central London. It will have 111 bedrooms and suites, a Turkish restaurant, a subterranean cocktail bar plus meeting and events space. Local attractions include St Paul’s Cathedral and the Old Bailey. It is a short walk to St Paul’s tube station on the Central Line.

American-based, Auberge Resorts Collection, is set to manage its first hotel in the UK in central London. They will manage Cambridge House, which was formerly the In and Out Military Club in London’s Mayfair. An opening is planned in late 2025 and will include 102 bedrooms and suites, a private members’ club, a ballroom, a brasserie restaurant plus a spa with two heated swimming pools, seven treatment rooms and a gym.

Virgin Hotels London Shoreditch opens 1^st August in the heart of Shoreditch. The 120-bedroom hotel in Curtain Road will include a Spanish restaurant, a rooftop bar, pool, private members club, gym and treatment rooms. It will have seven meetings and events suites.

Burnham Beeches Hotel, a ‘stone’s-throw’ from Windsor is currently undergoing a major refurbishment of all its suites and bedrooms plus the reception and other public areas – all due to be completed Winter 2024,

Dalata Hotel group has just opened Maldron Hotel Brighton on the waterfront with 226 bedrooms and suites, a restaurant and bar, gym and five meeting and events suites. It is a13 minute walk from Brighton station and a 25-minute drive from Gatwick Airport.

The White Horses Rottingdean in East Sussex is the first hotel in the Everly Hotels Collection, the new luxe hotel brand from pub chain Greene King. The hotel has 32 bedrooms and suites, a bar and 290-cover restaurant plus an outside terrace with views across the English Channel.

The Albion Hotel on the Isle of Wight has reopened following the completion of a £6 million refurbishment. The hotel has 40 bedrooms, the majority with sea views, plus a restaurant, a small private dining room and a bar.

Hotel news from the Midlands includes:

In Birmingham - A new Radisson RED is planned as part of the proposed redevelopment of the Birmingham Edgbaston Stadium, home of Warwickshire County Cricket Club. The hotel will feature 146 bedrooms and suites including 85 with pitch-facing balconies, a rooftop restaurant and bar. Spring 2027 is the planned opening date.

The latest Pig Hotel to join the collection will be The Pig in The Cotswolds. It opens on 2^nd September in the former Barnsley House hotel - a building which dates from the 17th century complete with historic arts and crafts style gardens. It also boasts secret gardens, a small spa plus a restaurant. It is located in the Cotswolds’ village of Barnsley, four miles from Cirencester.

The Stroud Hotel in Stroud, Gloucestershire has just emerged from a multi-million-pound refurbishment. The hotel, formally known as The Imperial Hotel, has 24 bedrooms and suites, a restaurant and bar, an events suite for up to 60 guests plus its latest addition - a secret garden.

Holiday Inn Oxford has just opened a new £12m extension block including 66 additional bedrooms and a new meeting room seating up to 100 delegates.

Escapade Silverstone, is a new trackside hotel at the home of British motorsport in Northamptonshire. It is planned to open in late August and will include 60 residences with views across the racetrack, a restaurant and bar, leisure facilities including a 15-metre swimming pool and events spaces.

In the North West:

The Queen of Chester hotel has completed its £5m refurbishment including upgrades to all 104 bedrooms, public spaces, meeting rooms and a new central bar. The hotel has 11 conference and meeting rooms with the two largest seating up to 120 delegates theatre style. It is located in City Road, a ten-minute walk from the centre of Chester.

Also in Chester, plans have been approved to convert a former bingo hall in the city centre into a seven-storey, 142-bedroom hotel with a ground floor restaurant. It will be located alongside the Shropshire Union Canal close to Chester station. We will monitor its progress.

Staying in Chester, plans have been submitted to create a 62-bedroom aparthotel above McDonald's in Foregate Street in the centre of Chester. We will monitor developments.

Hotel developments in the north of England:

Plans have been submitted for a new aparthotel in Bradford, West Yorkshire. If approved a five -storey, 100-bedroom unit is envisaged.

A new Radisson Blu Hotel has just opened in Sheffield city centre overlooking the Town Hall and Peace Gardens. It includes 154 bedrooms and suites, a rooftop speakeasy-style Indian restaurant and bar, six conference and events spaces, an outdoor terrace and a fitness centre.

Travelodge Rotherham Central is a new 69-bedroom hotel just opened at Forge Island in Rotherham. The group has also submitted plans to develop a new hotel with 80 bedrooms on the Old Station Yard at Corby railway station in Northamptonshire.

The Hotel Victoria has just reopened at Robin Hood’s Bay overlooking the North Yorkshire coastline. This follows a six-month, multi-million-pound refurbishment. The hotel has 23 bedrooms plus a restaurant and pub. Additional bedrooms are expected to open later in the year.

The Fleece Hotel, is a grade II-listed hotel in Richmond, North Yorkshire which closed in 2023. It is set to reopen shortly, under new ownership. The hotel has 13 bedrooms, apartments plus a 100-cover ground floor bar and restaurant.  Reopening date to be advised.

Hotel Gotham Newcastle is a new hotel opening autumn 2025 in a former Fire Station and an adjacent Police Station in the city centre. The Fire Station side will have 60 bedrooms and suites plus a restaurant and bar. The Police Station side of the hotel which is expected to open late 2025 will include 30 bedrooms plus events space in the former Court rooms for up to 120 delegates.

Hotel news from Scotland:

The Resident is a new hotel opening in the centre of Edinburgh on 1^st September. It opens with164 bedrooms and suites in what was Meldrum House, the former headquarters of His Majesty’s Revenue & Customs. It will have 164 bedrooms and suites. There is no restaurant on site although the hotel has arrangements with a range of cafes and restaurants in the vicinity.

Work has begun transforming Osborne House in Edinburgh’s Haymarket, a disused office block, into a new hotel. Once complete, the 1970s building will include 157 bedrooms and suites, a restaurant, bar and lounge, a residents’ bar plus an outside terrace. Meininger Hotels will operate the hotel, which is expected to open in spring 2026.

Glasgow Marriott Hotel with 303 bedrooms and suites has just completed a comprehensive renovation project and added new facilities including a Greatroom which encompasses reception, the lobby, a new lounge bar and a signature restaurant.

and finally:

OneCoWork is a co-working centre recently opened in Winckley Square in the centre of Preston - the first in the UK.  OneCoWork offers events space and conference facilities as well co-working space, lounges, kitchens and a gym.

French budget hotel chain B&B Hotels currently with just one hotel in the UK at Heathrow Terminal 5 have just acquired five hotels at sites in central Birmingham, Ipswich, Inverness, Warrington and Derby. All are undergoing refurbishment over the coming months before rebranding. We will check developments.

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Published: 01 July 2024

Our latest collection of hotel and venue news updates starts as usual in London: The Mondrian Shoreditch Hotel is to be rebranded a Virgin Hotel from 1^st August. It will be the 17th property in Virgin Hotels Collection and its first in London. The hotel which opened in 2021 has 120 bedrooms and two meeting rooms including a Ballroom seating up to 140 delegates theatre style.

To celebrate its 200th birthday, the National Gallery in London is planning new look events spaces in 2025 including a newly redesigned Lecture Theatre which will accommodates up to 322 delegates plus a  new Supporters' House room seating up to 100 delegates with its own restaurant, bar, private dining room, lounge and event space and with private access from Trafalgar Square.

Planning permission has just been secured for a new hotel in London. The Resident Farringdon will be located at 1-8 Long Lane, with 128 bedrooms, a restaurant, bar and café plus retail spaces at ground level. It is expected to open in 2027 and will be the fifth London site for the brand.

Moving to the South West:  SeaSpace is Cornwall’s first coastal aparthotel and is set to open in Newquay in October. It will feature 56 apartments including studios plus two and three-bedroom fully equipped apartments. Leisure facilities include a 19-metre pool plus a gym with Watergate Bay nearby for surfing enthusiasts.

Butcombe Boutique Inns group has just launched in the UK. The George Inn, Norton St Philip with 13 bedrooms in Bath and The Swan Inn, Rowberrow, with nine bedrooms also in Somerset are the initial members of the grouping but it is anticipated this could rise to 25 inns in total.

Travelodge has just opened its seventh hotel in Bristol – Bristol Abbey Wood Travelodge has 85 bedrooms and is located within easy access to the M4, M5 and Bristol city centre.

The Pig Group has just opened The Pig and The Village Pub, located in the former Barnsley House in the Cotswolds village of Barnsley. It has 18 bedrooms and suites plus a village pub. This brings the total number of ‘Pigs’ in the UK to nine by our reckoning.

In the Midlands:  Aston Marina events and conference facilities plan to build a 35-bedroom hotel on its 42-acre site on the outskirts of Stone in Staffordshire to capitalize on the visitor attractions in the area which includes Alton Towers. However, it’s understood the development is unlikely to be built until after 2027.

Amalfi White is a two AA Rosette restaurant situated in town of Melbourne in South Derbyshire.    They have just launched new 1^st floor events space in the Ballroom which will accommodate up to 80 delegates theatre style.

In Wales: The 22-bedroom Cae Mor Hotel in  Llandudno  has just completed a major refurbishment of all 22 bedrooms and added a  luxury fine-dining restaurant. The hotel is located next door to Venue Cymru, business events and conference centre.

In Manchester and the North West:  Maldron Hotel Manchester Cathedral Quarter has just opened in central Manchester – the second Maldron branded hotel in the city. It has 188 bedrooms, a Grain and Grill Restaurant, two ground floor meeting rooms seating 12 and 16 delegates plus a gym. It is located a few minutes’ walk from Manchester Victoria Station and Manchester Arena.

Leonardo Hotels have acquired Hotel Gotham in central Manchester. Hotel Gotham was formerly the headquarters of the Midland Bank. It has 60 bedrooms, a restaurant and a rooftop private bar and members’ club. Leonardo Hotels will be retaining the Hotel Gotham name in the short term.

Dakota Hotels have published plans to build a new hotel at MIX MANCHESTER – a major science and innovation campus planned at Manchester Airport. The hotel will have 154 bedrooms, a bar and brasserie-style grill, meeting and events space, plus a dedicated shuttle service to and from the airport terminals. The planned opening date is 2026. We will monitor its progress.

JD Wetherspoon has lodged plans to create a new hotel in Southport. They plan to convert the three floors above The Sir Henry Segrave pub in Lord Street into a 30-bedroom hotel. It was previously office space. The pub is named after the man who raised the land-speed record to 152mph on Southport's Birkdale Sands in 1926.

In York: The Principal York hotel in the centre of York is shortly to rebrand as the Milner York Hotel – named after William Milner, who was the York Station foreman during World War II.

The Elmbank York Tapestry Collection by Hilton, has become the Tapestry Collection’s second hotel in the UK and it follows the recent completion of a £5million renovation with 62 newly designed bedrooms plus a new restaurant and bar. Centrally located, it is a five-minute drive from York Racecourse and Jorvik Viking Centre.

In Newcastle on Tyne: Plans have been published to convert Metropolitan House in the centre of Newcastle on Tyne which is currently unoccupied into a 21-bedroom boutique hotel with rooftop garden. We will monitor developments.

Finally in Scotland: A new boutique hotel with ten rooms is set to open in July in Ayrshire.  It will sit directly above the Taj Bar & Kitchen in Prestwick , and will aim to ‘add a new dimension of luxury to Prestwick's hospitality scene’.

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Published: 13 August 2024

In London, YOTELPAD London Stratford, the first YOTELPAD property in Europe has just opened with 62 PADS (rooms) and a 24-hour Mission Control (reception) as well as the usual YOTELPAD features including the SmartBed, mood lighting, super-fast WiFi, and a SmartTV. It is located on Stratford High Street. Meanwhile, new openings in London next month include: Hyde London City opening with 111 bedrooms at the 15 Old Bailey building and The Ellen Kensington with 105 bedrooms opening in the former Burns Hotel.

Further south in Hampshire, whilst it is not a new venue the Old Thorns Hotel and Resort is not widely known. It has a range of meeting and events facilities with 14 conference and meeting spaces, 260 bedrooms, grounds for team building activities plus a gym, spa and an 18-hole golf course. It is 20 minutes south of Guildford and an hour by train from London Waterloo. We thought you might like to know about it.

In East Anglia, Thetford Farm Barn is a newly renovated barn venue on Thetford Farm Estate in Baston, south Lincolnshire. They have 10,500 sq-mt of flexible events space for board meetings, sales events, product launches, team presentations and conferences for up to 400 delegates.

In the Midlands, Mallory Court Hotel and Spa in Warwickshire has completed a £1.5million refurbishment. The hotel now has 43 bedrooms, a range of meeting rooms with the largest seating 135 delegates theatre style, private dining facilities plus a range of leisure activities including an indoor pool, a spa, tennis courts all set in 10 acres of countryside, 12 miles from Stratford on Avon.

In Birmingham the Cube Hotel – a ‘landmark’ Birmingham hotel and home to a Marco Pierre White-branded restaurant entered administration last month. It has now been brought to market for offers in the region of £12m.

Further north Mottram Hall Hotel in Cheshire has just opened new Padel Courts. It is the first hotel to offer this sporting facility.

Plans have been published in Manchester for a floating 180-room hotel in Salford Quays, by the Lowry Theatre on North Bay. The hotel will feature a large bar and restaurant which will be open to the public. If all goes to plan a 2026 opening is anticipated.

In the Lake District, Harbour Hotels Group has acquired Rothay Garden hotel in Grasmere in the Lake District with plans to rebranded it as Rothay Garden by Harbour Hotels. The hotel, set in two acres of gardens, has 32 bedrooms, a two AA rosette restaurant, bar, lounge and Riverside Spa.

In Northern Ireland, the former Londonderry Arms in Carnlough, Co Antrim is undergoing a redevelopment into a whiskey-themed hotel – with up to 400 bottles of whiskey available for the thirsty residents. Refurbishments should be completed by Easter 2025.

In Wales, a new 150-bedroom hotel is set to be developed close to the Swansea Arena in Swansea. Construction is expected to start next year with an opening anticipated in 2026. No details have been published except for the fact the hotel would have a rooftop bar with views over Swansea Bay.

In Scotland, The Leddie is a new boutique hotel and restaurant which has just opened in Aberlady, East Lothian. It has 27 bedrooms, an 80-cover restaurant and a selection of top of the range golf courses on the ‘East Lothian golf coast’.

Finally, some European hotel news: Leonardo Hotels Benelux has acquired the Dutch brand Eden Hotels with its 28 hotels in The Netherlands and Belgium which will gradually be integrated into the Leonardo Hotels brand.

Enjoy the rest of the summer and we will be back in September with another update.

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Published: 15 July 2024

Our mid-month news updates feature new developments in London and Liverpool:

Virgin Hotels open their 17^th hotel and first London hotel – Virgin Hotels London Shoreditch - on 1^st August in the heart of Shoreditch. The 120-bedroom hotel in Curtain Road will include a Spanish restaurant, a rooftop bar, pool, private members club, gym and treatment rooms. It will have seven meetings and events suites with the largest room – The Great Room – seating up to 300 delegates.

Maybourne Group has just opened The Emory - its fourth hotel in central London. It joins Claridge’s, The Connaught and The Berkeley. The Emory has 61 suites over nine floors including a 300sqm wraparound glass penthouse, restaurants, bars and a private members club - plus a complimentary helicopter transfer for guests arriving by private jet at London Luton and London Stansted airports.

Sircle Hotels Group will open its first London hotel - Sir Devonshire Square hotel  - later this year in Shoreditch. It will be located in a former textile warehouse building on London’s Liverpool Street. The hotel will have 81bedrooms including 11 suites, a cocktail bar and restaurant, a private members’ club, a gym and a yoga studio.

The ibis London Earls Court Hotel has joined with Mercure to become a co-branded hotel following the completion of a multi-million-pound refurbishment programme. It is now Mercure and ibis London Earls Court Hotel. It has 226 ibis rooms and 282 Mercure rooms plus a new restaurant - Barnaby’s. Additional bedrooms under the Mercure brand will be added later this year. Mercure and ibis London Earls Court Hotel features meeting spaces for up to 1,200 delegates, a ballroom plus five smaller meeting rooms all equipped with state-of-the-art technology. The hotel is located in Lillie Road, a short walk from a range of London tube stations.

YOTEL  has just opened its first YOTELPAD property in Europe with the official opening of YOTELPAD London Stratford. It has 61 bedrooms, referred to as ‘PADs’ - compact, living areas with a bathroom, kitchenette, super-fast wi-fi, SmartTV and a work desk. The hotel includes a 24-hour ‘Mission Control’ – YOTEL’s version of a traditional reception, a Grab & Go area stocked with refreshments, laundry facilities and storage space. It is located in Stratford High Street close to mainline stations and local transport hubs.

The Southgate Hotel is a new hotel which opened this summer in Southgate, North London, in what was formerly the Ever-Ready Battery headquarters close to Southgate tube station. The four-star hotel has 98 bedrooms, a restaurant and bar plus an on-site fitness centre. There is an air-conditioned ground floor meeting room to seat six delegates.

Last month The Peninsula Hotel opened in London’s Belgravia. Described in the press as London’s ‘first £1bn hotel’, the Peninsula Hotel is located alongside Hyde Park Corner and Wellington Arch. It includes 190 bedrooms and suites, restaurants and bars plus a range of 12 meeting and events suites with a cinema and the St George Ballroom, seating up to 450 guests. 

Finally in London, The Wesley Hotel – a 3-minute walk from Euston Station, is offering a 50% promotional discount off all meeting room hire from now until the end of August

Moving north to Liverpool - Dalata Hotel Group has just opened its first hotel in Liverpool. The four-star Maldron Hotel has 268 bedrooms and suites, a Grain & Grill restaurant, bar and a gym. Three fully equipped meeting rooms will seat 90, 70 and 30 delegates theatre style. It is in Park Lane, 15 minutes from Liverpool Lime Street Station.

Two new waterfront hotels are planned in ‘Liverpool Waters’ - a 30-year plan to transform the city’s northern docks to create a world-class, mixed-use waterfront along the banks of the River Mersey with the aim of bringing life back to Liverpool’s historic docklands.  The site will also be home to Everton Football Club’s new 52,000 seat stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock which will have meeting and events facilities. We will monitor its development.

Group news includes: 

Bespoke Hotels, the UK’s largest independent hotel group with 70 properties has announced a ‘transformative rebranding’ – featuring a refreshed website, new brochures and a more prominent identity. The group is also planning two new Gotham Hotels this year in Newcastle on Tyne and Bristol.

Village Hotels group with its 33 properties is now owned by Blackstone Real Estate who also own Haven Holiday Parks and Warner Hotels.

Radisson Hotel Group continues its expansion across the UK with the signing of Victorian country manor venue -Stanhill Court Hotel in Charlwood, Surrey. It has 56 bedrooms plus a range of meeting and events spaces. It is 10 minutes from Gatwick Airport with good access to the motorway. It joins the Radisson Individuals brand.

Unusual story of the month comes from The Old Bell Hotel in Malmesbury, Wiltshire which claims to be the oldest hotel in England dating back to the 1200s.  In their grounds they have just unearthed at least 24 human skeletons dating from 670 to 940 AD.

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Published: 13 June 2024

Our mid-monthly news update is dedicated to London hotels and venues. We start with The Mondrian Shoreditch Hotel in London which is rebranding as the Virgin Hotel London-Shoreditch from 1^st August. It will be Virgin Hotels’ first London property. The hotel has 120 bedrooms and suites, two meeting and events suites, a rooftop bar, restaurant and a fitness centre. It is located in Curtain Road.

 Mandarin Oriental is planning a third London hotel expected to open in 2028. Located on London's South Bank the hotel is planned to open with 171 bedrooms and suites plus 70 Residences at Mandarin Oriental. The hotel will include up to four restaurants, extensive meeting and events space plus a range of wellness and fitness facilities. The hotel will be part of the Bankside Yards development between the Tate Modern and Blackfriars Station.

Sheraton Heathrow Hotel has just completed a multi-million-pound refurbishment of its public areas and now features a new reception and lobby lounge, two new bars, a new restaurant and a new café.

The Mandarin Oriental Mayfair hotel has just opened in London’ Hanover Square. It features 50 bedrooms and suites plus 77 private residences, a restaurant, bar and spa. It joins their Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park hotel which opened in 2000.

The Imperial Hotel in Bloomsbury, London is planning a major refurbishment to convert the hotel into a four-star deluxe hotel. The hotel, with 357 bedrooms, is planning a 10th floor rooftop bar and restaurant as part of its refurbishment

Riverside East is a new events space just opened in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford London. It can be booked for corporate events and features a 225-cover restaurant, outdoor events spaces plus a rooftop terrace with views over east London

Spark by Hilton is a new branding in the ‘premium economy’ hotel market in the UK. It is set to launch in the centre of Romford, London shortly with 125 bedrooms.

New owners of the Victoria Garden Hotel Paddington located in Westbourne Terrace in central London are planning major refurbishment to upgrade the hotel into a 68-bedroom, four-star boutique hotel. The new-look hotel is expected to reopen next year.

We will be back in July with the latest news update.