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New Hotel planned in Staines
Hotel owner-operators, Arora Group, has been awarded the project to plan and develop a hotel in a riverfront location in Staines town centre.
The hotel is one component in a mixed-use development which also includes new residential units.
The planned 4-star hotel will have over 300 bedrooms and will including serviced apartments, a spa and leisure facilities. It will also feature meetings and events space including a ballroom.
Staines is located on the banks of the River Thames in Surrey, 15 miles from central London and close to London Heathrow Airport.
Arora Hotels is one of the UK's leading hotel owner-operators. The group’s portfolio includes Sofitel London Heathrow, Sofitel London Gatwick, Novotel London Stansted, Renaissance London Heathrow, InterContinental London ‒ The O2, Holiday Inn Heathrow Terminal 5, Crowne Plaza London Heathrow Terminal 4, Holiday Inn Express London Heathrow Terminal 4, Hilton London Gatwick and Hilton Garden Inn London Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3. On the development front is Fairmont Windsor Park Hotel which is due to open in early 2021 and Arora Hotel Gatwick/Crawley which is currently under construction.
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Plans approved for new Birmingham hotel
Several months ago, we reported on plans to convert the House of Fraser store in the centre of Birmingham into a mixed-use site including a new hotel. The store, in Corporation Street and better known as ‘Rackhams’, fell into administration in summer 2018.
Birmingham planning chiefs have now backed the redevelopment plans. The store will be converted into nine floors of offices, retail outlets, bars, restaurants and other leisure spaces. The new boutique hotel will be alongside at the corner of Cherry Street and Temple Row.
The building will be crowned with a new rooftop terrace overlooking Birmingham Cathedral and its grounds.
We will monitor the project’s progress and report the latest developments.
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New Addition to Westminster Venue Collection
Central Hall Westminster has just joined the Westminster Venue Collection - a group of conference and events venues within the City of Westminster.
Central Hall Westminster is a Grade II-listed building and the largest conference and events venues in central London. The building first opened in 1912 as a public meeting space for the Methodist Church.
Central Hall Westminster has 23 meeting spaces. Its three largest rooms can be set up in multiple styles, with capacities ranging from 500 to 2,000 delegates. All rooms are equipped with state-of-the-art technology including a range of lighting and staging options. Catering is available throughout and includes seated dinners and a variety of lunch options.
Central Hall Westminster is located directly opposite Westminster Abbey.
Central Hall Westminster is the 34th venue to join the Westminster Venue Collection.
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New Aparthotel planned in Sheffield
Plans have been unveiled to build a new aparthotel in the centre of Sheffield.
The site is in Garden Street and the new aparthotel will be an offshoot of a planned student accommodation scheme to be built on the same site.
The project, named ‘The Workshops’, is based on the Airbnb concept for short-term city lets. Guests will be able to book online and receive an access code to their apartment.
The units will be completely self-contained and can be accessed by guests without any human interaction – with the lack of staffing costs reflected in the price of the rooms.
The tendering process for a construction contractor is expected to start next month.
Garden Street lies in the ‘cutlery quarter’ of central Sheffield and still features a few cutlery workshops which date from the eighteenth century.
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Heathrow Hotels to be converted
Holiday Inn Heathrow Ariel Hotel is set to become an isolation and quarantine facility. The hotel has been block-booked by the Government for use as an isolation and quarantine facility should it be required.
When the hotel is converted it will be used for international visitors to the UK who develop coronavirus symptoms and for UK citizens who have returned home from countries that have had Covid-19 cases.
The Holiday Inn Brent Cross and the Crowne Plaza London Heathrow at Stockley Park are also being converted into isolation units on behalf of the Home Office. They will accommodate asylum seekers who exhibit symptoms associated with Covid-19.
Ironically, Construction Enquirer magazine is reporting a lack of available hotel rooms for travelling construction workers which is proving a major problem as more building sites look to restart.
Hotels have been closed since the lockdown started last month to everyone apart from key workers.
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New hotel planned in Maidstone
A new hotel is coming to Maidstone. Plans have just been approved to convert the former Mothercare store in the centre of Maidstone in Kent into a 132– bedroom hotel.
Plans for the new hotel include a lobby, café area and restaurant alongside the reception. The hotel will also feature a public rooftop bar with views overlooking the Kent hills.
The hotel will comprise three storeys facing Maidstone’s main pedestrianised shopping area with a nine-storey element sited just behind.
Proposed opening dates and details of the hotel operator await publication.