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Published: 29 August 2025

Latest UK hotel and venue news updates starting in London, as usual, and then moving north.

The Derby London City, Curio Collection by Hilton is a new hotel expected to open in Great Tower Street in the heart of London’s Square Mile in early 2026. It will be the group’s tenth Curio Collection by Hilton branded hotel in the UK. It will include 237 bedrooms and suites, an all-day dining restaurant, coffee house and bar plus a 24-hour state-of-the-art gym, meeting rooms and private dining.

Queen Mary Mansions building, located near Buckingham Palace and currently The Ministry of Justice’s headquarters in central London has been acquired by Arora Group who plan to convert the 14 storey building into a luxury hotel – when the Ministry move out of the building which is not until 2028.

The Barnstaple Hotel in North Devon has reopened following a £2 million project to repair damage created by Storm Darragh in December 2024. The hotel temporarily closed in March to carry out essential repairs and upgrades. It reopened on 1st August with a new roof plus a refreshed new look and new Health & Leisure facilities.

Plans to build a 120-bedroom floating hotel in Cardiff Bay by 2027 have been unveiled. The project intends to “enrich the city’s waterfront and elevate visitor experiences” in Cardiff. The hotel will be designed to offer ‘a unique waterfront experience for both leisure and business travellers’. If plans are approved a 2027 launch is anticipated. We will monitor progress.

The Barn at Berryfield is a family-owned hospitality site situated close to the NEC in Warwickshire. It comprises a restaurant, private events space, a bar, pizzeria and artisan bakery - plus a newly opened 33 bedroom hotel in a former barn conversion.

The Hard Days Night Hotel, the Beatles-inspired hotel in Liverpool, has relaunched its restaurant with a brand-new name - North Sixty4 - taking inspiration from the Beatles song – When I’m Sixty-Four. It follows a major refurbishment at the hotel.

The four-star Mercure Sheffield St Paul’s Hotel and Spa has been acquired by 1912 Hotels St Pauls Ltd, the UK subsidiary of Hamburg-based 1912 Hotels GmbH. The hotel boasts the largest hotel-based conference and banqueting facility in the city with 169 bedrooms, restaurants, leisure facilities and ten meeting and events suites.

Radisson Blu Glasgow has now unveiled its refurbished meeting and events facilities - the final stage of a £15 million refurbishment project which has included all 247 bedrooms. The hotel has 12 meeting and events spaces with the largest room seating up to 800 delegates for a conference. The hotel is situated in Argyle Street, a short walk from Glasgow Central Station.

Mollie’s Motel group is planning to open in Edinburgh in 2028. It will be the group’s fourth property. The new hotel will be close to Edinburgh Park Station and will include around 200 bedrooms, a diner and outdoor terrace plus meeting and events spaces. The plan is subject to planning approval.

Group news:

The Jarrold Group is anticipating an approval this autumn to convert the historic Grade-1 listed St James Mill in Norwich into an 88-bedroom hotel. The building dates from 1839 and was initially a yarn mill. We will monitor progress.

Sunday Hotel – a group of hotels operated by OYO - is planning to double the size of its portfolio by the end of 2026. The group was established in May 2023 and opened its first hotel – Lansbury Heritage Hotel in Canary Wharf in 2024.

Village Hotel Group have acquired the former DoubleTree by Hilton Sheffield Park in Sheffield. It will undergo a multi-million-pound refurbishment before rebranding as the 35th Village Hotel in the UK in December - with a Village Health & Wellness Club, a Pub & Grill, an on-site Starbucks plus meeting and events space.

Leading Hotels of the World have added ten new member hotels to their portfolio, including its first property in Mongolia as well as expanding its Caribbean hotel collection.

Travelodge which currently operates just over 600 hotels is planning to add 20 new hotels this year, 11 of which have already opened.

Marriott Hotels group has acquired the lifestyle brand citizenM. -  a group with 37 hotels, comprising 8,789 rooms, across more than 20 cities in the U.S., Europe and Asia Pacific.

IHG Hotels & Resorts has added The Manchester Deansgate Hotel to its portfolio. The Manchester Deansgate Hotel, located in Beetham Tower in the heart of Manchester’s city centre, was formerly a Hilton property. It is set to become an InterContinental by 2027, the fifth InterContinental property in IHG Hotels & Resorts’ UK and Ireland portfolio. Throughout the transition period it will operate as The Manchester Deansgate Hotel. A major refurbishment is planned. Details to follow.

Plans for future hotels:

Plans have been approved to convert The Elms, a former care home in Whittlesey, Cambridgeshire which closed in 2023 into a luxury hotel complete with a thermal spa. We will follow developments

Plans have just been approved for a new 164-bedroom hotel in Belfast. The site is currently a surface level car park and a retail and office unit located at the junction of Botanic Avenue and Donegall Pass in central Belfast. More details to follow.

And finally: the first bed and breakfast for butterflies has just opened at Horwood House Hotel in Buckinghamshire. It’s a range of miniature beach huts where butterflies can shelter in the rain or stay overnight. The site includes an ‘all you can eat’ buffet breakfast of lavender and buddleia bushes alongside. Apparently eleven different species of butterfly have been spotted booking in for the night.

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Published: 31 July 2025

Latest group news:

Marriott International has acquired the lifestyle hotel brand citizenM, with its 37 hotels worldwide including four in London and one in Glasgow. On the subject of citizenM. The group has just opened citizenM Dublin St Patrick’s – see details below.

Several companies, including the owners of the Loungers bar chain and Poundstretcher, are considering a takeover of the  Malmaison and Hotel du Vin group, a group which has been through a succession of owners over the last 20 years. We will watch this space.

Elegant Hotel Collection has added four new hotels members to its portfolio: Chateau Denmark in central London, Bingham Riverhouse in Richmond, Surrey, The Ebrington in Londonderry plus The Shepherd Mayfair, a boutique 82-bedroom hotel located in London’s historic Shepherd Market which is scheduled to open later this year.

Prestonfield House has joined the prestigious Relais & Châteaux collection – making it the group’s first hotel in Edinburgh. It is located on a 20-acre site, just a few minutes from the centre of Edinburgh, with 23 bedrooms and 600 sq-mt of events space accommodating up to 500 delegates.

KE Hotels group has acquired the Grade-II listed Queens Hotel Cheltenham. Located on a one-acre site adjacent to Imperial Gardens in the centre of Cheltenham, the hotel has 84 bedrooms, a restaurant and bar and an events suite for up to 120 delegates. It is the group’s fifth property in the UK.

The Royal Armouries in Leeds with 12 flexible events spaces which can host up to 2,500 delegates. has joined Venues of Excellence consortium of UK venues.

Australian international hotel group, TFE Hotels, is set to enter the UK market with the launch of two Adina-branded apartment-hotels: The Hobson Cambridge by Adina housed in a former police station with 56 bedrooms and The Wellington Glasgow by Adina with 98 apartments located just off George Square - both are expected to launch this autumn.

citizenM Dublin St Patrick’s is citizenM’s first hotel in Ireland.  Now open, the hotel, with 245 bedrooms, is directly opposite St Patrick’s Cathedral in the centre of Dublin. It features a 24/7 canteenM, an open-air terrace and four societyM meeting rooms.

OYO Group is expanding its Sunday branded hotels: The company will add Mercure Cardiff Holland House, Mercure Walton Hall in Warwick, Mercure Boxhill Burford Bridge in Dorking, Mercure London Staines, Mercure Exeter Rougemont Hotel and Mercure Winchester Wessex to its portfolio. The hotels will be refurbished under its Sunday brand.

BH group has acquired Burlington Hotel on the Eastbourne seafront with 159 bedrooms, a restaurant and bar. The group now operates eight hotels in the UK including Hotel Indigo Manchester Victoria.

Latest individual hotel news starting in London and then heading north:

The Derby London City, Curio Collection by Hilton is expected to open in early 2026. It will be the tenth property to open under the Curio Collection by Hilton brand in the UK. The hotel in Great Tower Street in the City will have 237 bedrooms and suites, an all-day dining restaurant, coffee house and bar, a 24-hour gym, meeting and events suites plus private dining.

A fully refurbished Olympia London is expected to open later this year. The project has included a refurbishment of the existing exhibition halls plus a new live-music hall and two hotels: Hyatt Regency London Olympia with 204 bedrooms and suites and CitizenM London Olympia with 146 bedrooms.

Radisson RED London Twickenham Is set to open later this year on the south side of London’s Allianz Stadium. It will form part of the wider Twickenham Experience complex, which includes the World Rugby Museum, RFU Conference & Events Centre and TW2 Health & Wellbeing. The hotel is undergoing refurbishment and rebranding from the existing Marriott Hotel at Twickenham Stadium, and will feature a new design with 150  bedrooms, flexible events spaces and all-day dining options. More details to follow.

Dumbleton Hall Hotel in the Cotswolds, currently closed, is set reopen this autumn following completion of a major renovation. Located between Evesham and Tewkesbury, it has 38 bedrooms, a restaurant, lounge and bar, three meeting and events suites plus 19 acres of private gardens.

Mallory Court Hotel and Spa in Leamington Spa has been named Best Large Hotel in England at the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2025. The hotel has 43 bedrooms, 3 meeting and events suites seating up to 60 delegates theatre-style plus private dining facilities.

The Belfry Hotel & Resort in Sutton Coldfield is set to open 149 new bedrooms with views over the Brabazon golf course - available from 1st August.

A Grade II listed clock tower on the edge of Liverpool city centre and formerly a NatWest bank building is set to be developed as a boutique hotel. Renovation work is planned to start shortly. We will monito its progress.

Hotel Indigo Leeds officially opened on 15th July. Located on Lower Briggate in the centre of Leeds, the 107-bedroom hotel includes a Mediterranean-inspired bar and restaurant and three meeting rooms, the largest seating 120 theatre style.

The Wainstones Hotel in Broughton, North Yorkshire has reopened following a refurbishment. The hotel now has 20 individually designed bedrooms, a new bar and restaurant plus two private dining rooms and a flexible function suite.

The Ardgowan Hotel in St Andrews, Scotland is to be renamed The Kithmore following completion of a £7.5million refurbishment and extension programme. Due to open in June 2026 the new-look hotel will include 44 bedrooms and suites plus a 60-cover restaurant and bar plus an enviable location - a stone’s throw from The Old Course at St Andrews.

The Edinburgh Grand, a landmark residence on St Andrew Square, has just reopened as Marriott’s first Luxury Collection hotel in Scotland. It includes 50 apartments each with a fully equipped kitchen, two meeting and events suites with the largest room seating up to 50 delegates theatre style plus a 24-hour gym and fitness centre.

Finally, Crieff Hydro Family of Hotels, with seven hotels across Scotland has just been given a Gold Award by the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS), recognizing the steps the group takes towards supporting members of the Armed Forces community – including veterans, cadets, reservists and their families.

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Published: 15 June 2025

We start our latest roundup of new hotels and meeting venues in London, as usual. Incidentally, London has been named the top meeting destination in Europe by Cvent for the third year running with Barcelona and Madrid in second and third place respectively.

IHG Hotels & Resorts is planning a new dual-branded hotel in London, located opposite the Imperial War Museum and close to London Waterloo station. The existing building on the site is being refurbished with a new 14-storey tower to be constructed. voco London – Waterloo, will include 182 bedrooms and Hotel Indigo & Suites London – Waterloo, will have 172 bedrooms. Both hotels will include restaurants, bars, cafés, a gym, and a business centre. The new complex is planned to open towards the end of 2028.

The St Pancras Renaissance Hotel in London’s King Cross has rebranded to St Pancras London Autograph Collection Hotel. The hotel is currently undergoing refurbishment, which began in January. The Grade I-listed building first opened in 1873 as the Midland Grand Hotel. The 5-star hotel now has 245 bedrooms and suites, restaurants and bars, St Pancras Spa with six treatment rooms, a gym, sauna and steam room plus 10 meeting and events spaces.

The Shepherd Mayfair is a new hotel scheduled to open in late 2025, just off Park Lane in central London. It is on the site of the former Park Lane Mews Hotel. The hotel will have 82 bedrooms, a café, an all-day dining brasserie restaurant and a cocktail bar. The hotel is a member of the Elegant Hotel Collection.

Zetter hotels have confirmed a planned January 2026 opening for its new Zetter Bloomsbury hotel located near Russell Square and overlooking the British Museum. It will have 68 bedrooms and suites, nine meeting and events suites and a restaurant and bar.

The Spanish-based Libere Hospitality Group (LHG) has just opened its first hotel in the UK - Libere London Edgware Road. The hotel is located in a refurbished Victorian building close to London Paddington station. It has 44 bedrooms, a restaurant and bar and is targeting the business traveler.

art’otel London Hoxton has unveiled its new spa facilities including a 12m indoor swimming pool, a  spa with a sauna, a steam room, four treatment rooms and a gym on the 26th floor.

London Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square in London’s Mayfair, has unveiled its renovation prior to the hotel celebrating its 40th anniversary on 12 June. The renovation includes a new-look lobby with a new all-day food and drinks package and a refurbishment of its meeting and events spaces. The hotel refurbished its bedrooms and suites in 2020.

Plans have been approved to convert the former Royal Marines Museum, a 150 year-old, Grade-II listed building in Portsmouth, into a luxury hotel with 96 bedrooms, a restaurant and bar, meeting rooms and leisure facilities including a gym, treatment rooms and a swimming pool. The new hotel will be operated by Grand Hotel Excelsior International. We will monitor its progress.

Fleur de Lys Inn Dorset will be the Chickpea Group’s eighth pub with rooms when it opens next month in a restored 17th century pub in the village of Cranborne. It will feature nine bedrooms, a main dining room for 80 guests plus a private dining room seating up to 12 guests.

Accor is launching its luxury Emblems Collection in the UK at the end of this year - Lucknam Park Hotel & Spa. It is set in 500 acres of parkland, around six miles from Bath.  It has 42 bedrooms plus nine-country house cottages, a Michelin-starred restaurant, four meeting rooms with the largest seating 50 delegates theatre style plus a spa and an equestrian centre.

Plans for a major expansion and refurbishment at the Holiday Inn Luton Airport have been approved. These will include 89 new bedrooms and a series of external upgrades. Construction work is expected to commence later this year.

The Grade-II-listed Imperial Hotel in Tenby on the Welsh coast has reopened following a major refurbishment. There are 44 bedrooms over four floors, many with coastal views and all have been refurbished. There is a new restaurant and a new spa which will open later this year. The hotel has four meeting and events suites with the largest room seating up to 250 delegates.

IHG Hotels have announced the signing of InterContinental Manchester – Deansgate. It is the fifth InterContinental in its UK and Ireland portfolio. Currently owned by Blue Manchester Hotel Limited the InterContinental Manchester – Deansgate will have 264 bedrooms and suites. The hotel is expected to be fully rebranded by 2027 and will remain open to guests in the meantime.

Radisson Hotel Group’s new Medlock Hotel at the Etihad Campus, home of Manchester City Football Club will be opening in late 2026 with 400 plus bedrooms, a variety of food and drink outlets and extensive meeting and events facilities within the stadium.

In Liverpool, Aparthotel brand Citadines Aparthotel is rebranding Quest Liverpool City Centre - Citadines City Centre Liverpool - the  first Citadines property outside London. It will include 100 apartments plus a gym and complimentary laundry rooms.  

Travelodge has just commenced construction of a new hotel in Douglas, Isle of Man - its first on the Island. It will include 80 bedrooms and 85 Bar Café. It will be located 300m from the ferry terminal and close to the beach and the shopping district. It is scheduled to open in Spring 2027.

Supercity Aparthotels is planning to open three new UK properties this summer: Forth House with 66 rooms and a fitness centre is now open in Edinburgh’s New Town. The Jubilee with 63 suites on The Headrow in Leeds is opening in June. Finally, the 46-suite Mickelgate in York will open this summer with 46 suites located a short walk from York station.

On the sporting front, The Football Association and Hilton Hotels have just announced a three-year partnership - Hilton will become the Official Hotel Partner of the England football teams at both Wembley Stadium and St George’s Park.

Finally, launched in 2018, voco hotels has become the fastest-growing brand within the IHG Hotels & Resorts portfolio. There are now properties in 18 countries and new-to-market hotels opening in Japan, Kenya, Spain and India. The group has 46 voco hotels now open, 18 of which are in the UK,  with  55 hotels in the pipeline. The brand is a key driver of IHG’s overall growth.

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Published: 14 August 2025

 Our latest update starts as usual in London and then heads north. We finish with general conference and meeting information from around the UK.

IHG Hotels & Resorts have just opened the latest addition to its UK & Ireland portfolio – Hotel Indigo London Clerkenwell. It is in Clerkenwell Road, a five-minute walk from Farringdon Station. The hotel has 143 bedrooms and suites, each reflecting the clockmaking and goldsmiths character and history of the area. The hotel has two on-site restaurants and two meeting and events suites seating 40 and 20 delegates.

The Dutch-based The July Hotels Group has just opened its first UK aparthotel in the UK. The July London Victoria is located in Vauxhall Bridge Road, a two-minute walk from Victoria tube and coach stations. It has 114 bedrooms, a restaurant and bar, a gym and a wellness area. The hotel has four meeting and events suites with the largest seating up to 400 delegates theatre style.

Crowne Plaza London Kingston has completed a multi-million-pound renovation, with redesigned bedrooms, upgraded public spaces and refreshed meeting facilities. This is the final phase of the refurbishment ahead of further expansion planned for early 2026. The hotel is located in Surbiton on the banks of the River Thames about one mile from Surbiton Station. It has 121 bedrooms and suites, a restaurant, bar and fitness centre and four conference rooms with the largest room accommodating up to 250 delegates.

Marriott International has opened its first hotel in Brighton - Four Points Flex by Sheraton Brighton. The hotel, formerly the Kings Hotel on Brighton seafront has 95 refurbished rooms over three connected town houses, a restaurant and bar plus two meeting rooms holding 100 people.

Wilde Aparthotels, Cambridge City Centre has opened within walking distance to Cambridge’s Jesus Green Park and the River Cam. The Wilde, Cambridge City Centre has 229 fully equipped apartments, a bar and lounge plus an outdoor terrace and co-working spaces.

Two developments in central Manchester: Firstly,  Novotel Manchester Centre in Dickinson Street has opened its new Exchange Bar & Restaurant with an open-plan layout.

ibis Manchester Centre on Portland Street has opened Chill 96 designed for informal gatherings or smaller-scale business events for up to 30 delegates seated.

Marriott Courtyard Sheffield hotel will finally open this September. It was originally due to open in summer 2023 but then construction work on site stopped. Located a short distance from both the centre of Sheffield and the M1/J33, the hotel will have 150 bedrooms and suites, a restaurant, bar and a fitness centre plus one meeting room to seat 16 boardroom style.

Canadian hotel group Sandman Signature, the new owners of The Quays Hotel in Sheffield are planning extensive renovations to create a new-look four-star hotel in the city centre. The 128-bedroom hotel was formerly a Best Western Plus hotel. It has nine meeting rooms, all with flexible layout options for between two and 250 delegates.

The former Ibis York Centre on the Mount in York which closed last May has reopened following a major refurbishment. It is now an Ibis Styles hotel with 110 bedrooms which has been extended from 94 rooms.

Also in York, The Grand York, is currently undergoing a major £2.5million refurbishment of its spa and gym facilities set to complete in early 2026. The hotel currently has 207 bedrooms plus five meeting and events suites with the largest seating 120 delegates theatre style

The Met Hotel Leeds, in the centre of the city, is undergoing a major refurbishment aimed at preserving the building’s historic features. Work is expected to complete this November. Refurbishments planned include the restaurant and bar plus the hotel’s extensive meeting and events facilities. The hotel currently has 125 bedrooms plus 14 flexible meeting and events spaces. 

Aberdeen is planning to introduce a 7% visitor levy in all probability from 1^st April 2027 - to generate revenue for enhancing leisure and business tourism in the city. 

The Isle of Rassay Distillery on the island of Raasay is planning to open five luxury lodges this autumn. The distillery, the only one in Scotland where guests can stay overnight in the same building as a working distillery, lies in the Highlands, between the Isle of Skye and mainland Scotland. The accommodation will be available from this October and November until the distillery closes for a short break over winter. 

Group news:

Intercontinental Hotels Group now operate over one million bedrooms globally following a record number of openings in the first half of its financial year. The group has doubled its brand portfolio to 20 brands in the past decade and is now operating over 6,700 hotels in more than 100 countries.

Cohort Capital have secured the funds to finance two four-star hotels in the UK, one in London and another in the North of England - with a combined 510 bedrooms. More details to follow.

Finally, The Arora Hotel Group have submitted their own Heathrow expansion plans to the government in response to the recently published proposals from the airport owners. Plans include a shorter new runway which would avoid the need to divert the M25 motorway. Arora Group said its plans called ‘Heathrow West’, could have a new runway fully operational by 2035, with a new terminal which would open in two phases, in 2036 and 2040. Watch this space.

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Published: 02 July 2025

We start this month’s news update with the latest hotel news and venue developments – and finish with some meeting industry facts and figures. .

There is not long to wait now for the opening of what is being billed as ‘London’s priciest hotel’. It is the Chancery Rosewood opening on the site of the former U.S. embassy in Grosvenor Square, Mayfair. It opens in August with 144 suites each with butler service plus two penthouse suites named after monarchs Queen Elizabeth and King Charles and each priced at £60,000 per night. We will check out the meeting and events facilities when it opens.

IHG Hotels & Resorts have opened of Hotel Indigo London Clerkenwell - a four-star boutique hotel at 2 Clerkenwell Road – a five-minute walk from Farringdon Station. The hotel has 143 bedrooms and suites, a restaurant and a Grade II-listed Victorian pub plus two meeting and events rooms seating up to 60 delegates for workshops and private dining.

Radisson Hotel Group is set to open its first Radisson RED property in central London in partnership with PPHE Hotel Group. It will be located in Leman Street, near the City of London and  Liverpool Street Station. The hotel will have a minimum of 182 bedrooms, restaurant, bar, gym and office space and is scheduled to open in 2029.

Bower House located in London’s Pimlico and described as an ‘affordable boutique bolthole’ is scheduled to launch in March 2026, with just 10 bedrooms.

Cambridge Apartment Hotels Ltd, a subsidiary of the Lamington Group, are the new owners of Shire Hall in Cambridge, the former headquarters of Cambridgeshire County Council. They are seeking planning approved to convert the building into a hotel.

Accor has announced that Lucknam Park Hotel & Spa, located just outside Bath, will be the first hotel in the UK to join its luxury Emblems Collection. The hotel has 42 bedrooms plus nine cottage country houses, a Michelin-starred restaurant, a wellness spa and equestrian centre - all set in 500 acres of parkland. An opening towards the end of 2025 is anticipated.

Coombe Abbey Hotel in Coventry - a 700-year-old building but just 30 years as a hotel, has just completed a refurbishment of eight of its historic meetingand events roomConstruction has begun on a new Hampton by Hilton in Telford’s Station Quarter regeneration scheme in the centre of the town. The 6-storey hotel will have 142 bedrooms, a restaurant and bar – other facilities await publication. It is scheduled to open in 2027.

Marriott plan to add three Edinburgh properties to its portfolio: The Edinburgh Grand will be rebranded under their Luxury Collection. Old Town Chambers will be rebranded under their Autograph Collection. Finally, The Colourist on Princes Street will join Marriott’s Tribute Portfolio when it opens in 2027.

The Marcus Hotel Portrush has just opened in Northern Ireland. It is the first Tapestry Collection by Hilton hotel to open in the province.  Based in a Victorian building which has undergone a multi-million-pound makeover, the new hotel has 80 bedrooms and suites, a restaurant and bar and a fitness centre. It has opened just in time for the 153rd Open Golf Championship which takes place this July at Royal Portrush.

Group news:

Best Western Hotels group has increased its presence in the UK with the acquisition of seven independent hotels. Recent additions include Best Western Sheffield City hotel with 100 bedrooms and Best Western Ebbw Vale hotel with 37 bedrooms.  In its luxury groupings The Kings Arms Hotel in Christchurch has joined the group’s  WorldHotels Distinctive collection.

Lakeland Kendal hotel in Cumbria and the Casa Hotel in Yateley, Hampshire, have joined the Sure Hotel Collection by Best Western.

Rocco Forte Hotels is eyeing country house hotels to rival luxury competitors – reports The Caterer. Rocco Forte Hotels is seeking locations for the group’s Rocco Forte House brand. It is aiming to expand its presence in the UK, with a particular focus on London. Rocco Forte House is a brand of luxury, serviced apartments designed to address what the group sees as a shortage of high-quality options in the market.

Finally, some facts and figures about the meeting and events industry:

The UK business events industry is a major economic contributor to the UK Exchequer and provides around £33.6 billion to the UK economy. Exhibitions, conferences, meetings, and people travelling to the UK to attend events contribute the lion’s share of this total. According to Visit Britain around 6.5 million business visitors visit the UK each year with 1.5 million business event visitors attending meetings and conferences. These business visitors are thought to spend around £5.2 billion.

Furthermore, recent research by the UK Conference and Meeting Survey (UKCAMS) shows the average daily delegate rate achieved by venues for conferences and meetings in 2024 was up 11% and the average 24 hour/residential rate was up 4% over the previous year.

The corporate sector accounted for 52% of the events market up from 46% in 2019). The government and the public sector accounted for 28% with the Associations market at 20%.

 Interestingly, (from our point of view), over a quarter of all events in 2024 were organised by a professional conference organiser or an event management agency.

We will be back with our next update on 1st August

 

Details

Published: 30 May 2025

 

Welcome to our latest hotel and venue news update. We start with news from the main hotel groups before moving on to individual hotel updates.

Group news:

IHG Hotels: Hotel Indigo Leeds is set to open in the city centre in early July. Located on Lower Briggate, it will include 107 bedrooms, a Mediterranean-styled restaurant - The Banksia, plus two meeting and events suites.

 IHG Hotels are planning to open the new Hotel Indigo Torquay with 153 bedrooms, two restaurants and a fitness centre in the second half of 2025. It will be the 26th Hotel Indigo in IHG's UK & Ireland portfolio.

IHG is also set to open Hotel Indigo Gloucester – The Forum, in the town centre later this year. It will have 129 bedrooms, two restaurants plus two meeting and events suites on the fifth floor.

Hilton Hotels: Construction has just started on the new 154 bedrooms MOTTO by Hilton Manchester Piccadilly – in central Manchester. We will monitor its progress.

Thistle Hotels: The Tower Hotel by Thistle in central London is planning a Spring 2026 reopening of its main Tower Suite following a major refurbishment. The Suite, overlooking Tower Bridge and the London skyline, is one of 24 flexible events spaces at the hotel, together with 801 bedrooms and suites, restaurants and bars plus a gym.

Marriott Hotels International: is now the largest hotel company in the world by the number of available rooms. It has 36 brands with 9,361 properties containing 1,706,331 rooms in 144 countries and territories. The group has just acquired the lifestyle brand CitizenM  – with four hotels in London plus one in Glasow among a total of 36 hotels in America, Europe, and Asia Pacific.

Radisson Hotels: have opened Radisson Hotel Manchester City Centre - its first Radisson-branded hotel in the city centre and its first Verified Net Zero hotel in the UK. It has a restaurant and bar, a range of seven meeting and events suites and leisure facilities including an indoor swimming pool. It is located close to the AO Arena and Manchester Victoria station.

Adagio: The Adagio Original London City East has just opened. It is the ninth Adagio in the UK and the fourth in London. It’s located in Whitechapel Road and has 132 studios and apartments.

Zedwell Group:  is planning to open a second hotel in a former office block in the City of London - Zedwell Tower Bridge. It will have 200 windowless sleep cocoons at budget prices and it will join the group’s other London Hotels in: Piccadilly Circus, Greenwich, Tottenham Court Road and Knightsbridge. No planned opening dates have been published.

Zetter Group:  are planning to open their third London hotel -Zetter Bloomsbury with 68 bedrooms – in January 2026. The hotel was formerly known as the Grange White Hall and Grange Blooms hotel.

Travelodge: have announced plans to develop a new 131 bedroom hotel in Watford; its second hotel in the town. It will form part of ‘Watford Riverwell’, a £500 million regeneration scheme in the town. The hotel will feature ‘next-generation rooms’ a new restaurant concept, 85 Bar Café and 78 dedicated parking spaces.

Other Hotel and Venue news:

Leonardo Royal Hotel London St Paul’s has just launched The Hub - a self-contained ground floor collection of seven meeting rooms for small meetings, training and private dining. All spaces have natural daylight, a contemporary décor, modern AV technology, high-speed Wi-Fi and air conditioning. There is also a separate kitchen and refreshment area.

Art'otel London Hoxton has opened a new events space - Panorama - on its 24th floor. It includes 12 spaces, with views across London, accommodating up to 350 delegates for meetings, product launches and private dinners.

The New Forest Spa and Wellness Centre has just opened at Balmer Lawn Hotel in Brockenhurst, Hampshire. It includes a 15-person Finnish sauna, a steam room and an ice room.

‘Crafted’ is a new ‘life-friendly’ hotel brand set debut later this year. The first property will be Crafted at Powdermills in Battle, East Sussex which will be taking over the Grade II-listed PowderMills hotel. Crafted at Powdermills will have 55 bedrooms and suites, a restaurant, a pub and cocktail bar plus a seven-acre lake alongside for water-based sports and activities.

Ashridge House in Hertfordshire, has completed a project to upgrade all 189 bedrooms. 94 bedrooms have been completely renovated, with the others receiving a new decor, carpeting and soft furnishings.

The Belfry Hotel & Resort in Sutton Coldfield is planning to open ‘The Club’ in September – a new ‘state-of-the-art’ fitness centre for both members and hotel guests. It will feature: A vast gym with over 50 pieces of the latest technogym equipment; a dedicated pilates studio with reformer pilates machines, a large-capacity spin studio with over 30 bikes, two pools, including a dedicated 25-metre lap pool and a large family friendly swimming pool – all in addition to their world-renowned golf facilities.

Low Wood Bay Resort & Spa, in Windermere, Cumbria has installed a range of solar panels across five of its buildings. They are expected to generate more than 130,000 kWh of electricity annually with the project expected to have paid for itself within around six years.

Finally, sadly just one Birmingham hotel made it on to the recently published Sunday Times ‘Best Places to Stay in the UK’. It is Baloci, an Indo-Persian boutique hotel in a Grade II-listed Georgian townhouse in Edgbaston - with just six bedrooms and a restaurant, it is ‘Recommended’ in the Michelin Guide.