CHOICE LOCATIONS

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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 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 1^st 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 1^st 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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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

 

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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.

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Published: 30 April 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 20^th 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.