Our latest update starts as usual in London and then heads north. We finish with general conference and meeting information from around the UK.
IHG Hotels & Resorts have just opened the latest addition to its UK & Ireland portfolio – Hotel Indigo London Clerkenwell. It is in Clerkenwell Road, a five-minute walk from Farringdon Station. The hotel has 143 bedrooms and suites, each reflecting the clockmaking and goldsmiths character and history of the area. The hotel has two on-site restaurants and two meeting and events suites seating 40 and 20 delegates.
The Dutch-based The July Hotels Group has just opened its first UK aparthotel in the UK. The July London Victoria is located in Vauxhall Bridge Road, a two-minute walk from Victoria tube and coach stations. It has 114 bedrooms, a restaurant and bar, a gym and a wellness area. The hotel has four meeting and events suites with the largest seating up to 400 delegates theatre style.
Crowne Plaza London Kingston has completed a multi-million-pound renovation, with redesigned bedrooms, upgraded public spaces and refreshed meeting facilities. This is the final phase of the refurbishment ahead of further expansion planned for early 2026. The hotel is located in Surbiton on the banks of the River Thames about one mile from Surbiton Station. It has 121 bedrooms and suites, a restaurant, bar and fitness centre and four conference rooms with the largest room accommodating up to 250 delegates.
Marriott International has opened its first hotel in Brighton - Four Points Flex by Sheraton Brighton. The hotel, formerly the Kings Hotel on Brighton seafront has 95 refurbished rooms over three connected town houses, a restaurant and bar plus two meeting rooms holding 100 people.
Wilde Aparthotels, Cambridge City Centre has opened within walking distance to Cambridge’s Jesus Green Park and the River Cam. The Wilde, Cambridge City Centre has 229 fully equipped apartments, a bar and lounge plus an outdoor terrace and co-working spaces.
Two developments in central Manchester: Firstly, Novotel Manchester Centre in Dickinson Street has opened its new Exchange Bar & Restaurant with an open-plan layout.
ibis Manchester Centre on Portland Street has opened Chill 96 designed for informal gatherings or smaller-scale business events for up to 30 delegates seated.
Marriott Courtyard Sheffield hotel will finally open this September. It was originally due to open in summer 2023 but then construction work on site stopped. Located a short distance from both the centre of Sheffield and the M1/J33, the hotel will have 150 bedrooms and suites, a restaurant, bar and a fitness centre plus one meeting room to seat 16 boardroom style.
Canadian hotel group Sandman Signature, the new owners of The Quays Hotel in Sheffield are planning extensive renovations to create a new-look four-star hotel in the city centre. The 128-bedroom hotel was formerly a Best Western Plus hotel. It has nine meeting rooms, all with flexible layout options for between two and 250 delegates.
The former Ibis York Centre on the Mount in York which closed last May has reopened following a major refurbishment. It is now an Ibis Styles hotel with 110 bedrooms which has been extended from 94 rooms.
Also in York, The Grand York, is currently undergoing a major £2.5million refurbishment of its spa and gym facilities set to complete in early 2026. The hotel currently has 207 bedrooms plus five meeting and events suites with the largest seating 120 delegates theatre style
The Met Hotel Leeds, in the centre of the city, is undergoing a major refurbishment aimed at preserving the building’s historic features. Work is expected to complete this November. Refurbishments planned include the restaurant and bar plus the hotel’s extensive meeting and events facilities. The hotel currently has 125 bedrooms plus 14 flexible meeting and events spaces.
Aberdeen is planning to introduce a 7% visitor levy in all probability from 1st April 2027 - to generate revenue for enhancing leisure and business tourism in the city.
The Isle of Rassay Distillery on the island of Raasay is planning to open five luxury lodges this autumn. The distillery, the only one in Scotland where guests can stay overnight in the same building as a working distillery, lies in the Highlands, between the Isle of Skye and mainland Scotland. The accommodation will be available from this October and November until the distillery closes for a short break over winter.
Group news:
Intercontinental Hotels Group now operate over one million bedrooms globally following a record number of openings in the first half of its financial year. The group has doubled its brand portfolio to 20 brands in the past decade and is now operating over 6,700 hotels in more than 100 countries.
Cohort Capital have secured the funds to finance two four-star hotels in the UK, one in London and another in the North of England - with a combined 510 bedrooms. More details to follow.
Finally, The Arora Hotel Group have submitted their own Heathrow expansion plans to the government in response to the recently published proposals from the airport owners. Plans include a shorter new runway which would avoid the need to divert the M25 motorway. Arora Group said its plans called ‘Heathrow West’, could have a new runway fully operational by 2035, with a new terminal which would open in two phases, in 2036 and 2040. Watch this space.