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Hotel news from Sheffield
Radisson Blu is to operate a new flagship hotel overlooking the Peace Gardens in Sheffield.
The Radisson Blu will be based in a building dating from the Victorian era, in Pinstone Street. The hotel will anchor the new Heart of the City II scheme, which is already home to HSBC Bank among other companies.
The Radisson Blu is expected to include over 150 bedrooms and will have a prominent location with views of the Peace Gardens.
The Radisson Blu hotel is one component in an ambitious project to rejuvenate the centre of Sheffield with new offices, restaurants, bars, entertainment venues, urban living spaces and boutique hotels.
Staying in Sheffield, the former Sheffield Hilton which closed late last year has just reopened as the Best Western Plus Quays Hotel, operated by Legacy Hotels & Resorts and located at Victoria Quays in Sheffield's Canal Basin area.
Best Western Plus Quays Hotel comprises 128 bedrooms, a spa with an extensive gym and swimming pool, meeting spaces and is home to the Quays Restaurant.
Meanwhile plans to convert the former Halifax Building Society building in Sheffield city centre to create a new hotel and restaurant have been given the go-ahead.
The building in Surrey Street was originally constructed in 1893/94 but has been vacant following the closure of the building society in 2017.
The plans envisage a restaurant in the former banking hall at ground floor level with hotel reception and 20 bedrooms on the upper floors.
Details of the hotel operator await publication.
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Hotel with a difference in Amsterdam
This is a hotel story but not as we usually know it.
Across the water in Amsterdam the city is planning a prostitution hotel, or a so-called ‘erotic centre’. It is planned as a safer alternative to the city’s renowned red-light district as well as a means of reducing the nuisance caused by noisy tourists and stag-weekends.
Apparently, Amsterdam’s red-light district attracts around 18million tourists a year all flocking to see the cultural highlights of the district including the canal-side window brothels and sex shops.
The new centre would include sex clubs and pornographic theatres which would be part of the prostitution hotel. The hotel rooms would include all the ‘tools of the trade’ plus a panic button in case of problems. The sex workers would be able to check their clients in relative safety in the corridors and public spaces of the hotel as well as in its bistro restaurants.
Despite its attractions the majority of prostitutes oppose the plan and want to remain in their red-light district because they claim to have no problem with the tourists who are their main customers and they do not wish to work in a hotel.
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ibis budget opens in Swindon
ibis budget Swindon is a new hotel which has recently opened in the centre of Swindon.
ibis budget Swindon has 73 modern, contemporary furnished bedrooms. Each bedroom includes an en-suite shower room, a flat-screen TV and free w-fi access. The on-site café-bar serves meals morning, afternoon and evening.
ibis budget Swindon is located in Henry Street in the centre of Swindon, a five-minute walk from Swindon station and with good access to the M4 motorway.
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Site Visit – Hotel Brooklyn in Manchester
Hotel Brooklyn opened in the centre of Manchester just three short weeks ago. I went along unsure of what to expect. More to the point I wanted to view the meeting facilities - and to see if the tag ‘Manc-hattan’ to describe its New York/Manhattan theming was justified.
The guest is greeted in the lobby by a huge cinema screen in place for the hotel’s movie nights. There are touches of New York throughout the hotel with comic books in the toilets and a selection of American novels in the bedrooms.
However, it is from the meeting rooms that you get a real sense of New York. Brooklyn Heights, the main events and banqueting space, is located on the ninth floor with terrific views across the Manchester skyline – OK so it is not New York but from this height you do get an excellent impression of the modern, vibrant city that is modern day Manchester.
Brooklyn Heights is a versatile space which will accommodate up to 220 guests in total. The events space can be subdivided into three separate rooms with flexible room dividers and all with natural daylight: The Montague Suite is the largest seating 60 delegates theatre style with the Grace & Hicks Suites each seating up to 18 delegates boardroom style. Each room is equipped with the latest technology.
Hotel Brooklyn has 189 bedrooms in all shapes and sizes. All are air-conditioned with a flat screen television, tea and coffee making facilities, free wi-fi , USB charge-points and a DAB radio - plus the American novels.
Executive Rooms have floor to ceiling windows. The showcase Governor Room features a king-sized bed and a slipper bath inside the room so the guest can soak and watch television at the same time. The Terrace Suite comes with its own outdoor terrace area.
Runyon’s Bar & Restaurant serves an authentic Brooklyn menu – so I am told.
I didn’t know what to expect from Hotel Brooklyn. I have viewed ‘themed’ hotels in the past and usually been disappointed. But, I must confess I loved Hotel Brooklyn as much for its excellent facilities as for its delicate ‘New York' touches which are in evidence throughout the hotel.
Hotel Brooklyn is located in Portland Street in the centre of Manchester. If you are travelling by train it is a maximum ten-minute walk from Manchester Piccadilly station.
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The Gate opens in London in March
The Gate is a new boutique aparthotel opening late March 2020 at Aldgate East in London.
The Gate has 20 floors and 189 rooms. Its design is influenced by the style and culture of the London streets and landmarks it overlooks which include The Gherkin, The Shard and Brick Lane.
Each apartment at The Gate will include a fully equipped kitchen, a Hypnos bed, Nespresso machine, workspaces, a walk-in shower, window seats and black-out curtains.
The Gate will offer guests flexible stay periods. Guests can stay for one night or up to three months.
The Gate includes 22 sq-mt studio apartments, 32 sq-mt apartments and 41 sq-mt penthouses. The Residences are the largest apartments at 55 sq-mt with two bedrooms and a separate lounge.
Free wi-fi will be available throughout the building. A light breakfast will be available at The Gate plus a ‘grab and go’ lunch and dinner option. There is also a wide array of restaurants and bars in the local area.
The Gate will feature a members’ lounge with dining and working space plus an outdoor terrace. The Gate will also feature a boutique gym with Technogym equipment and exercise bikes.
The Gate is located in White Church Lane, a two-minute walk from Aldgate East tube station in London.
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Rochdale Hotel refurbishment planned
Deckers Hospitality Group is planning a £750,000 refurbishment of The Royal Toby Hotel in Rochdale.
In March 2020, The Royal Toby will begin a 9-month project upgrading its 53 bedrooms, introducing a luxurious new design complete with bespoke furniture.
The refurbishment is planned to be complete by the end of November 2020.
The Royal Toby Hotel has a number of recently refurbished meeting and events rooms suitable for business interviews, conferences and training events - for up to 100 delegates.
All the meeting rooms are equipped with a flip chart, flat LCD screen, digital projector and free wi-fi.
The Royal Toby Hotel is located in Rochdale’s Castleton area, less than two miles from the M62, with good links from Oldham, Bury, Manchester, and Huddersfield - and with complimentary parking.