Our latest hotel and conference venue news update in the UK starts as usual in London before heading north.
Spring 2026 will see the opening of the new Waldorf Astoria London Admiralty Arch on The Mall in London opposite Buckingham Palace. This luxury hotel, originally due to open in 2022, will comprise 100 bedrooms, plus restaurants and bars and a 320-cover ballroom and reception on the lower ground floor.
The St. Regis London is expected to open in mid-2026 following the complete redevelopment and transformation of the former Westbury Mayfair Hotel. It will feature 195 bedrooms, including 64 suites, a 90-seat signature restaurant plus a private dining room for up to 18 guests, a jazz bar and a library. Leisure facilities include two spa suites and a fully equipped gym.
In London plans have been approved by Wandsworth Council to convert the former Morleys department store in Mitcham Road into a 92-bedroom Zedwell Tooting Hotel. A spring 2027 opening is anticipated. Further details to follow in due course.
Six Senses London Hotel is set to open in London’s Bayswater in early 2026. It is located in the former Whiteleys department store and will include 109 bedrooms and suites, a restaurant and bar and a luxury wellness suite.
2026 will see the opening of The Derby London City, Curio Collection by Hilton. The hotel is taking bookings from May. It will include 34 contemporary designed rooms and suites with panoramic views of the City skyline. The hotel includes an all-day restaurant, bar and coffeehouse, a fitness centre and a boardroom to seat up to 20 delegates.
Advance notice - The Accor Hotels owned Ennismore Group is planning to launch its first Delano lifestyle hotel in London towards the end of 2026. The hotel, close to Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park, will have 67 bedrooms, a restaurant and lounge plus meeting spaces. Further details to follow.
Mad Swans is a new countryside hotel in the Mendip Hills between Bristol and Bath. It is described as ‘redefining modern hospitality’ complete with eco-cabin stays. It features ‘The Potting Shed’ its main restaurant, 12-hole golf, padel and pickleball, a driving range, putt patch and darts. The hotel currently has eight eco cabins but more are planned to open in the near future.
The Hide is a new 25-bedroom affordable hotel which has just opened on the edge of the Chatsworth Estate, in Baslow, Derbyshire. The hotel is targeted at families and groups and incorporates The Hide Grill and Pizzeria.
Radisson Hotels Group has signed the New Bath Hotel and Spa in Matlock, Derbyshire. The hotel with 54 bedrooms, a restaurant, bar, spa facilities and two meeting and events suites is set to join the Radisson Individuals portfolio in December 2025.
The DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel and Spa in Chester is planning a major ‘railway-inspired’ refurbishment of 139 bedrooms. The revamp includes bedroom upgrades plus improved lighting and in-room technology. This follows a previous refurbishment of 80 bedrooms plus a new-look reception, lounge and lobby areas. The hotel has nine meeting and events suites with the largest seating up to 300 delegates theatre style.
The Municipal Hotel & Spa Liverpool has just been awarded the city’s first and only AA 5-star rating. The hotel in Dale Street, central Liverpool, includes 179 bedrooms, a restaurant, an afternoon tearoom, a bar and a Thermae Spa. The hotel has six meeting and events suites with the largest seating up to 60 delegates.
The site of a former banana warehouse in York, now reduced to rubble, will become home to a 168-bed Marriott Hotel. Construction has started on-site and opening is anticipated in 2027.
Malmaison Newcastle has now completed its redesign and refurbishment of all 122 bedrooms and suites. The hotel is housed in a Grade II listed former Co-Operative Society warehouse located on the Quayside. The hotel includes a restaurant and bar, four meeting and events suites with the largest seating up to 80 delegates.
Group news:
IHG Hotels and Resorts have revealed plans to launch a new premium collection hotel brand “in the coming months.” The new collection is said to complement their premium conversion brand, voco, which now has over 200 hotels in more than 30 countries. We will monitor developments.
Pub and bar operator Mitchells & Butlers have published plans to open a new hotel under its Innkeeper’s Collection brand above one of its Leeds city centre venues. The upper floors of its Nation of Shopkeepers pub – a 19th-century Grade II-listed building – will house a 42-bedroom hotel above a new reception area on the first floor. The 19th-century Grade II-listed building originally housed offices, shops and a warehouse. It is located at the corner of Cookridge Street and Great George Street.
Finally, Manchester Airport hotels and venues offer a range of facilities for both national and international meetings and events plus ease of access via the airport and the M56 motorway nearby. Hotels include Radisson Blu Hotel Manchester Airport with 360 bedrooms and 27 flexible event spaces; Clayton Hotel Manchester Airport with 365 bedrooms and flexible meeting spaces; Crowne Plaza Manchester Airport features 299 bedrooms and eight meeting rooms for up to 70 delegates - the hotel also has 320 parking spaces and a free airport shuttle – and Concorde Conference Centre accommodating up to 600 delegates for an event.