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Latest News: 15th 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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Latest News: 15th May 2025
Hotel news in London:
Virgin Group: founder Richard Branson has officially unveiled Virgin Hotels’ first hotel in London: the 120-bedroom Virgin Hotels London-Shoreditch, formerly known as the Mondrian Shoreditch. It opened under its new branding in August 2024 before undergoing renovation. The rrefurbishment includes new suites, a rooftop pool, a new restaurant and club.
The July Hotels: – the Amsterdam-based group opens its first aparthotel in London – The July London Victoria - in June. It will have 114 bedrooms and suites, an all-day restaurant, a bar, a gym and wellness area plus three meeting and events suites.
art’otel London Hoxton has opened Panorama London, a new meeting and events space with ’cutting-edge technology’, on the hotel’s 24th floor, Panorama has space for up to 350 delegates and features floor-to-ceiling windows with views across London landmarks.
The Ambassadors Hotel in Upper Woburn Place in London’s Bloomsbury has reopened following a multi-million-pound refurbishment as The Memoir Club. The hotel has 100 bedrooms, a restaurant and bar plus seven meeting spaces with the largest room seating up to 220 delegates theatre-style.
The Chancery Rosewood opens in the former US Embassy in Grosvenor Square, central London on 1st September. It will feature 144 suites and a Grand Ballroom seating 720 delegates theatre style in a room which will subdivide into a range smaller rooms. The hotel will also have eight restaurants and bars and a Spa featuring a 25metre swimming pool, hydro zone and fitness studio.
The Edwin Hotel in Earls Court is expected to open this summer. It was formerly the Mayflower Hotel. It will have 60 bedrooms, some with private balconies, complimentary Wi-Fi, an in-room safe and refrigerator plus food delivery options.
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Holiday Inn Express Reading Oxford Road, located in the heart of Reading with 104 bedrooms, is expected to open second half of 2025.
In Birmingham the Grand Hotel has unveiled plans to launch a ‘speakeasy’ at the hotel offering a late-night live music jazz bar on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays starting Friday, May 16, operating from 10pm until 2am.
The Belfry Hotel in Sutton Coldfield, North Warwickshire will be opening their new Masters Suite in September – featuring 852sq-mt events space for conferences, product launches, mini expos and banquets. The suite can be divided into smaller spaces and also features a mezzanine level and an outdoor terrace.
The Polo Club Hotel has just opened at the Dallas Burston Polo Club in Southam. Warwickshire. It has 42 bedrooms, meeting rooms and a fully equipped gym. It is located alongside the IXL Events Centre with its four polo pitches, an equestrian arena and a fully-equipped gym.
The Derby Conference Centre has given its largest function space, the Stephenson and Euston Suite (seating up to 200 delegates) a complete makeover. The Centre, with 50 bedrooms, is close to the centre of Derby with good links to the M1 and M42 and East Midlands Airport
Rockliffe Hall resort hotel on the County Durham and North Yorkshire border has just started work on a new development plan. The aim is to turn the hotel into a ‘gastronomy-focused destination’. Currently the hotel has 61 bedrooms across different buildings on the estate plus 12 meeting and events spaces with the largest seating up to 200 delegates theatre style.
TARKA Edinburgh is a new ‘capsule’ hotel with pods in place of bedrooms – Japanese Style. It will feature 242 pods over seven floors, plus a rooftop Japanese restaurant and bar with views over Edinburgh Castle and the Firth of Forth. Summer 2026 is the expected completion date.
Group News:
Hilton Group: has recently opened a new Tapestry Collection hotel in the UK - the Elmbank York, Tapestry Collection by Hilton – with 62 bedrooms and suites, a restaurant, bar and a gym. The Marcus Portrush, Tapestry Collection by Hilton in Northern Ireland, with 83 bedrooms is following with an opening planned for 1st July just ahead of The Open golf tournament, which returns to Portrush this summer.
Travelodge has just opened two new hotels — one in London near the Dartford Crossing with 125 bedrooms and the other overlooking Queens Dock on the Liverpool waterfront with 101 bedrooms – the group’s tenth hotel in Liverpool.
Recent National Press Reports:
Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG) has reported good first-quarter results with strong demand in Europe and the Middle East with ‘revpar’ growing in both regions and particularly in East Asia and the Pacific regions. According to the group this has been partly driven by leisure travel resulting from the success of HBO’s third season of The White Lotus which was filmed in Thailand.
A new study by Hilton Hotels has revealed the importance of ‘service with a smile’. The group commissioned academics to measure the importance of a ‘cheery disposition in hospitality’. One group of guests was welcomed with ‘service with a smile’ and another group by a ‘more neutral demeanor’. Those who got the smile treatment displayed 3.5 times more happiness during their stay and it even made their food and drinks taste better – and hence more likely to return.
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Latest News: 15th April 2025
Group News:
Hilton Hotels: The Football Association and Hilton have announced a three-year partnership with Hilton becoming Official Hotel Partner of the England football teams. Loyal fans can expect Hilton Honors perks on hotel stays when they travel to support the teams at home and abroad.
Forte Hotels: The new Crowne Plaza East Midlands Airport is taking bookings from 18th April. It is located in Kegworth less than 2 miles from East Midlands Airport. It has 114 bedrooms and suites, a restaurant and a fully equipped fitness centre.
Village Hotel Group: has launched of a major investment programme aiming to upgrade over 50% of its portfolio starting with its bedrooms and leisure facilities. An additional 48 bedroom extension is also planned at Village Hotel Clubs in Ashton, Manchester and Solihull.
Classic British Hotels: has added four new hotel partners to its portfolio: The Alfriston in the South Downs, Lindeth Fell Country House in the Lake District, The Ridings in Hertfordshire and Haycock Manor Hotel in Peterborough.
Sheraton: two additions to Four Points Flex by Sheraton grouping in the UK include: Four Points Flex by Sheraton Cardiff and Four Points Flex by Sheraton Newcastle with further additions following in Dundee and Edinburgh.
Marriott: Marriott Luxury Collection is planning a £100 million refurbishment of The Park Tower Knightsbridge Hotel. Plans include adding six storeys to the hotel’s tower to house up to eight residential apartments overlooking Hyde Park.
Hoxton Group: A new Hoxton hotel will be opening in Edinburgh on 23 June. It will house 214 bedrooms and suites, including three self-contained houses, an all-day Italian restaurant, a cinema, six meeting and conference suites with the largest seating up to 100 theatre style.
Zetter Group: are planning their first new opening in 10 years - Zetter Bloomsbury hotel in London. It is scheduled to open autumn 2025 with 68 bedrooms and suites, a restaurant and bar plus an outdoor garden, parlour and terrace.
Travelodge – has just opened its 85th hotel in London: Travelodge London Chiswick High Road - a new build hotel with 113 bedrooms.
Other news:
The Grade-II listed Atlas House on the corner of Cheapside and King Street in the City of London is to be converted into a new luxury hotel by Blue Orchid Hospitality, a new private collection of independent luxury hotels located in the heart of London. The new hotel will have 104 bedrooms and suites, a ‘destination’ restaurant, cocktail bar and health club, spa, pool and gym plus meeting rooms and workspaces.
Plans have been submitted for the redevelopment of Custom House on Lower Thames Street, City of London, into a hotel. It is an historic Grade-I listed building on the north bank of the River Thames and was most recently the headquarters of HMRC. We will monitor developments.
Miiro Templeton Garden – is a new lifestyle hotel brand, which has just opened its first UK hotel in London - in Templeton Place, Kensington, a short walk from Earls Court. It has 156 bedrooms and suites, a restaurant and a private dining room plus a gym as well as a landscaped garden.
Leeds Castle near Maidstone in Kent is offering two 24-hour delegate packages. One is standard and includes the usual: room hire, accommodation, breakfast, lunch and dinner and two servings of tea/coffee. The second rate incorporates the above plus team building exercises with activities including: a falconry experience, a wine tasting and private entry to adventure golf.
The People’s History Museum in central Manchester has relaunched its events spaces following a refurbishment. The new Riverside Room event space overlooking the River Irwell will seat up to 45 guests for a banquet. It joins the main Engine Hall seating up to100 theatre style and The Coal Stores seating up to 50 delegates theatre style. The Museum is a 20-minute walk from both Manchester Piccadilly and Oxford Road stations.
Also in Manchester, The Midland Hotel in the city centre has just partnered with award-winning chef, Adam Reid, to launch a new private hire and events offering – EVENTS by Adam Reid at The Midland, designed for larger groups and corporate networking events.
A Finnish company, Meyer Floating Solutions, have published plans for a new 120-bedroom floating hotel to be moored in Roath Basin in Cardiff Bay with an anticipated 2027 opening.
Finally, we are aware that ‘good news coming from Birmingham’ is a rare event at the moment but allow us to share one piece of good news from our home city. According to Colliers UK Hotel Market Index Birmingham and Cambridge have emerged as two of the UK's fastest-growing hotel markets.
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Latest News: 1st June 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.
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Latest News: 1st May 2025
The latest hotel and venue news starting as usual in London:
London is planning the largest hotel development programme in Europe, according to hospitality data firm Lodging Econometrics, with 77 hotel projects and over 14,00 rooms at various stages of development.
Virgin Hotels London-Shoreditch has just opened with 120 bedrooms and suites, a restaurant and bar plus an outdoor pool and terrace. The hotel has seven meeting rooms including private dining areas – with the largest accommodating up to 300 guests. It is close to Liverpool Street Station and Old Street Station in central London.
The Newman is a new hotel opening in London’s Fitzrovia summer 2025. It will have 81 bedrooms and suites, a European brasserie, a spa and fitness facility on a dedicated wellness floor plus two meeting and events suite.
Hilton London Bankside is to add 76 bedrooms to its stock, bringing the total number of rooms to 368. The first quarter 2026 is the expected completion date. The hotel is located in Great Suffolk Street, London SE1.
The July London Victoria is new aparthotel opening this July. It will have 114 bedrooms, a restaurant and bar, a gym, wellness area plus three meeting rooms. It will be located within a five-minute walk of London Victoria underground and coach stations.
Valor Hospitality has refurbished and rebranded two hotels in the South of England: voco Southampton and voco Fareham-Solent. voco Southampton has 133 bedrooms, voco Fareham-Solent has 130 bedrooms. Both hotels have a restaurant and bar plus upgraded meeting and events suites. voco Fareham-Solent also has a leisure club. The hotels join the recently refurbished voco Zeal Exeter Science Park in the group. Valor Hospitality is planning further voco rebrands later this year. voco is one of IHG's premium brands.
West Court Retreat is a new 49-bedroom luxury hotel which has recently opened in a former army special operations base in Wokingham, Berkshire. It has a restaurant and bar, an outdoor swimming pool and meeting facilities.
The Parkgate Hotel in Cardiff with 170 bedrooms has opened a new meeting and events space - The Mail Room - seating up to 40 delegates. The room compliments the hotel’s larger Postmaster Suite accommodating up to 360 delegates.
Hotel Indigo Leeds is a new hotel opening on Lower Briggate in Leeds city centre. It will have 107 bedrooms and suites, The Banksia Restaurant and Bar, a gym, and meeting spaces. It is set to open at the end of July 2025. This will be the 20th Hotel Indigo to be opened by IHG Hotels & Resorts in the UK.
Bradford South Travelodge has just opened between Bradford and Leeds with 130 bedrooms. It is close to the M62 and just eight miles from Leeds Bradford International Airport.
Dakota Newcastle Hotel opened at the end of March. It is located on the city’s St. Ann’s Wharf, overlooking the River Tyne. The hotel has 118 bedrooms, a restaurant and bar. The main Tyne Suite will seat up to 60 delegates for a theatre style meeting with three smaller rooms seating from 10 to 30 delegates plus a private dining room.
Bailiffgate Hotel is the latest new hotel from Bespoke Hotels and is scheduled to open in Alnwick, Northumberland in late May 2025. The hotel overlooks the entrance to Alnwick Castle. It will have 48 bedrooms and suites, a restaurant and bar plus two private meeting/events suites one seating up to 25 delegates, the other 10 delegates.
Egremont, Cumbria. A derelict building and former bake house in the centre of Egremont in Cumbria has just reopened, fully refurbished as No.27 Conference & Event Centre & Nashville Bar. The building had not been used for a number of years and was in a poor state of repair. Capacities and further details to follow.
IHG Hotels and Resorts is planning to launch its latest mid-market range hotel brand - Garner Hotels - in Edinburgh in June 2025. Garner Hotel Haymarket, Edinburgh will be located directly opposite Haymarket Station in the city centre. It will have seven floors, 195 bedrooms, a restaurant and bar.
Marriott International is buying the lifestyle hotel brand CitizenM with its 36 hotels in more than 20 European cities., including six in the UK.
Two Football clubs are opening hotel and conference facilities - in Manchester and Oxford. They are:
In Manchester: The Medlock is a new 401 bedroom hotel planned - the collaboration of Radisson Hotel Group and Manchester City Football Club. The new hotel is expected to open at the end of 2026 and will form part of the Club’s £300 million development at the Etihad Campus. The hotel is named after the River Medlock that runs underneath the Etihad Campus. Further details to follow.
Oxford United Football Club have also teamed up with Radisson Hotel Group to create a 180-bedroom Radisson Blu hotel. It will be part of a sustainable sports and lifestyle landmark north of the city. The site will also include a 16,000-capacity stadium and exhibition centre, with restaurants, bars and fitness areas plus entertainment facilities. Proposed opening date to be advised.
Finally, Unique Venues report that only 8% of the UK’s 37,000 public electric vehicle charging locations are found at hotels. With now more than 1.3 million fully electric vehicles (EVs) on UK roads, a total which is predicted to rise to over half of all vehicles by 2030, the hotel market is in danger of missing out on potential guests and revenue.
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Latest News: 1st April 2025
We start our latest round-up of hotel and venue news in London as usual - and then head westwards and northwards.
The Barbican in London, in partnership with caterer Searcys, is now offering an exclusive private dining experience for between 60 and 120 guests in its Conservatory which also features over 1,500 species of exotic plants.
The RIBA, headquarters of the Royal Institute of British Architects, based Portland Place, will temporarily close from this June to undergo a two-year modernisation programme.
The National Army Museum is the latest member to join the Unique Venues of London’s portfolio. The organisation now has over 80 member venues.
IHG Hotels: has opened voco Zeal Exeter Science Park, its first branded net zero carbon hotel – with 142 bedrooms, a restaurant, bar, meeting space and a mini-gym.
A new Radisson branded hotel is part of a development at Oxford United’s proposed new stadium near Kidlington. The hotel will have 180 bedrooms and is part of a wider development which includes a Conference and Exhibition Centre with a capacity of over 1,000 delegates. A summer 2026 opening is anticipated.
Fallow House events space has just opened at Estelle Manor in Oxfordshire. The two-storey building houses 540 sq-mt of events space. It includes a Grand Room accommodating up to 100 delegates, three meeting rooms seating between 10 and 20 delegates and two bars.
Escapade Silverstone is a new hotel complex which has just opened at the Silverstone Racetrack – ‘the home of English motor-racing’ in Northamptonshire. It has 184 ensuite bedrooms including Trackside rooms, a restaurant and bar, a 24-hour gym, swimming pool, sauna and wellness suite plus meeting and events
spaces.
Nobu Hospitality is venturing outside London. They have plans to open a 160-bedroom hotel in a 76-storey tower in Castlefields in the centre of Manchester. The hotel will also include events spaces plus a Nobu restaurant and bar. No anticipated opening date has been published yeRadisson Hotel Group: has announced the opening of the 154-bedroom Radisson Blu Hotel in Pinstone Street in Sheffield city centre with 154 bedrooms, a restaurant, bar, fitnescentreand six meeting and conference suites with the largest seating up to 190 delegates theatre style.
Dakota Newcastle is a new hotel which has just opened on St. Ann’s Wharf, overlooking the riverside promenade in Newcastle on Tyne. It has 118 bedrooms and suites, a restaurant and bar plus a main events suite to seat up to 60 delegates, three smaller rooms and two private dining rooms.
Plans have been approved for the first Zedwell Hotel in Scotland. It is planned to open in the former Debenhams building on Princes Street, Edinburgh, with over 600 bedrooms. It will be the brand’s first hotel in Scotland. No anticipated opening dates have been published yet.
The Malmaison Hotel in Queens Road, Aberdeen has completed a £1.8 million refurbishment of all 79 bedrooms and public areas, including the bar and grill. The hotel has a main events suite seating up to 30 delegates plus two boardrooms.
Hilton Hotels have announced the signing of DoubleTree by Hilton Belfast City Ten Square. The hotel is about to undergo a multi-million refurbishment. The hotel includes 131 bedrooms and suites, a restaurant and bar plus a range of meeting and events suites. The hotel is the 1,000th property in the group’s EMEA region.
Staying in Belfast and with Hilton, the group is planning a European brand launch with Tempo by Hilton Belfast City Centre, the first Tempo by Hilton hotel outside the US. Expected to open late 2026, it will have 144 bedrooms and suites plus a fully equipped fitness centre.
ASM Global Europe are planning to open four new UK venues by 2027. They are: Becketwell Performance Venue, Derby with a 2,100-theatre style auditorium set to open Spring 2025. The Sage ICC, Newcastle Gateshead with 5,000+ sq-mt exhibition space plus 17 conference and meeting spaces, opening 2026. The New Olympia Conference Centre located alongside the existing Olympia complex in London. It will include 14 meeting rooms plus 2,000sq-mt of flexible space, opening 2026. Southport Marina Lake Events Centre (MLEC) accommodating 1,200 theatre style plus 1,500m2 of exhibition space – also expected to open in 2026.
In recent years, the UK has witnessed a growing trend in the hospitality industry: the rise of stadium hotels. We have highlighted one above - a new Radisson-branded hotel at Oxford United’s proposed new stadium. See ‘The rise of the Stadium hotel – how UK venues are redefining hospitality’ in the HotelOwner magazine/website.
Finally, Hatters Hotel in Skegness, which has been named Britain’s ‘Most Unique Hotel’, is to go up for auction this month. The 29-bedroom hotel has been converted into an Alice in Wonderland-themed property, with characters from the Disney film installed throughout the venue. £650,000 is the guide price if you are interested.