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.