In London: The Germany-based Numa Group has acquired the 86-bedroom Bedford Corner Hotel. It is housed in a Georgian building in Bailey Street in London’s Bloomsbury and features 86 bedrooms, co-working space and an artisan bakery. It is the group’s first property in London, and they plan to upgrade it and rebranded it as Numa Bloom.
Nobu Hotel London Portman Square in Marylebone is the first hotel to receive a Travel Sustainable Level 3 rating rewarding its commitment to sustainability. The hotel has 249 bedrooms and suites plus a Japanese-inspired restaurant.
The Art’otel London Hoxton hotel is set to open on 24 April in Rivington Street (EC2). It will be the second Art'otel, following the launch of Art’otel London Battersea in 2023. As well as a range of artworks on display, the hotel will also include 357 bedrooms and suites, 12 meeting and events spaces, an all-day café, lounge and cocktail bar, leisure facilities and a skyline gym on the 26th floor.
French-owned Lignée Hotels has opened its first UK property in London. Grand Hotel Bellevue is housed in a Victorian townhouse facing Norfolk Square close to London Paddington station. The five-storey, five-star hotel has 60 bedrooms and suites, a restaurant and bar plus a 24-hour Fitness Studio.
Church House in Westminster with flexible event spaces accommodating up to 600 delegates has won a highly commended award in the category of Best Conference Venue at the Prestigious Star Awards.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club has gained planning permission to build a hotel next to its stadium in Haringey. It will include 180 bedrooms, a restaurant and bar and leisure facilities including a swimming pool. An opening is anticipated in time for the Euro 2028 football tournament.
In the South-West: A new café, events space and gym is set to open in April in the CEG's EQ building in Redcliffe, one of Bristol's new city centre office blocks. It will feature a 50-seat auditorium plus break-out spaces as well as a rooftop business lounge with a communal terrace.
The Greenway Hotel and Spa in Cheltenham has completed an eight-week refurbishment programme across its main reception, communal areas and brasserie restaurant. The hotel, part of Eden Hotel Collection, completed a refurbishment of its 21 bedrooms last year.
In the Midlands: An £18 million loan has been granted which will cover a substantial part of Warwickshire Cricket Club’s ambition to build a new 4-star hotel with a rooftop terrace and pitch-view rooms with balconies.at its Edgbaston stadium in Birmingham. Final planning approval is expected in September.
Meanwhile if press reports are to be believed the American-based owners of Birmingham City Football Club have purchased a 48acre site close to ‘the Blues’ existing St Andrew’s stadium with a view to creating an internationally recognized ‘Sports Quarter’ with world-class sporting and entertainment facilities. We will monitor developments.
Wolverhampton Grand Theatre has secured funding for its expansion plans which include new exhibition facilities as well as new theatre space, visitor accommodation and office space.
A new 3,500-capacity Conference and Events Centre is currently under construction on the Becketwell site in Derby. An opening is anticipated in the first quarter of 2025. We will monitor progress.
In the North West A new hotel - The Reach at Piccadilly Manchester, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel - is currently under construction in the centre of Manchester. It is a 90-second walk from Manchester Piccadilly station. When it opens - expected in summer 2024 - it will include 215 bedrooms and suites, a restaurant, a bar overlooking the canal and a fully equipped gym.
Hilton is set to open a new 144-bedroom hotel in Wigan on the site of the former Galleries Shopping Centre in the town centre – part of a plan to rejuvenate the Lancashire town. The Hampton by Hilton branded hotel will be located off Market Street in Wigan’s town centre and will feature a gym on level one and a ground floor restaurant. The project is still at the planning stage.
Inn Collection has opened Offshore, a refurbished and renamed hotel on the sea-front at St Annes on Sea in Lancashire. It was formerly the Carlton and Lindum Hotels prior to a total refurbishment and remodelling. The Offshore has 98 bedrooms, an outdoor terrace, a restaurant and bar.
In Yorkshire: The new Radisson Blu Sheffield hotel is scheduled to open in June. It overlooks the Peace Gardens in Sheffield city centre. It will have 154 bedrooms and suites, a rooftop bar and restaurant plus conference facilities and events space.
In Scotland: Brisbane House in Largs overlooking Largs Bay and the River Clyde in Scotland has just completed a major refurbishment. The boutique hotel has17 bedrooms. The hotel includes the new-look Brisbane Suite with a private terrace which will host an event for up to 200 guests.
The Glenmorangie Company, operators of Ardbeg Distillery, is planning to transform The Islay Hotel on the shores of the Isle of Islay in Scotland into a ‘whisky and hospitality experience’. The hotel will feature a new-look restaurant, 11 luxury bedrooms and a ‘whisky cave’, all operating under the new name of Ardbeg House. The hotel will operate as normal until the end of this summer 2024 and will re-open as Ardbeg House in May 2025. We are told the news will delight the fans of Glenmorangie.
Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh - The Caledonian, better known as ‘The Caley’ is set to undergo a major refurbishment starting this summer and will become part of Curio Collection by Hilton.
Dalata Hotel Group has secured planning permission to create its first hotel in Edinburgh. The Clayton-branded hotel will have 167 bedrooms, a restaurant, bar plus meeting and events facilities. The site is on St Andrew's Square in the city centre. Further details to follow in due course.
Group News: Hilton Hotels are set to acquire the Graduate Hotels brand – a group with more than 30 hotels in university towns in the US and UK including two UK hotels: in Oxford and Cambridge. They have plans to expand the group worldwide.
Finally, Caterer magazine is reporting that The Duchy of Cornwall, has submitted plans for a mixed-use development in Kent which will include a hotel. Further details await publication.