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London’s rough sleepers to be offered hotel beds
Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has worked with Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG) to block-book bedrooms in two London hotels specifically for the Capital’s rough sleepers, for the next 12 weeks.
300 hotel bedrooms have been earmarked for the project.
City Hall will continue working with a range of partners, including London’s boroughs and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, to identify others sleeping rough and ensure everyone gets the support they need. The Mayor’s emergency response is being provided with the backing of the Government, which – with the Mayor – has provided funding to kickstart this work.
Rough sleepers are significantly more likely to have underlying health conditions, including respiratory problems, than the wider population. They are also far less likely to be able to follow Public Health England advice, such as self-isolation, social distancing and handwashing.
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Two new hotel openings delayed
Two proposed new hotel openings have been postponed owing to the uncertainty generated by the coronavirus outbreak.
THE PIG-at Harlyn Bay is a Grade-II listed mansion in Cornwall currently being converted into an 11-bedroom hotel set in five acres of garden. THE PIG-at Harlyn Bay has an additional 15 bedrooms and four private huts in separate buildings.
THE PIG-at Harlyn Bay features a restaurant, a private dining room, a lounge and a kitchen garden.
THE PIG - at Harlyn Bay is the seventh hotel in the PIG collection and the first in Cornwall. It was scheduled to open in May 2020. Hopefully it will be opening later this summer.
Meanwhile, the former De Vere Theobalds Estate hotel in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire has just completed an £8.5million overhaul and was set to relaunch as the first Birch-branded hotel in April 2020.
Birch is a new lifestyle hotel brand.
The Birch will have 140 bedrooms. It will feature co-working spaces and a members’ club, with ceramics workshops in the pottery studio, sourdough-making lessons in the interactive bakery, beekeeping and glass-blowing sessions plus other cultural events and yoga classes.
Birch Hotel also has two restaurants, three bars, a wellness space and screening, music and art rooms. You get the picture?
Again, a summer opening is envisaged, coronavirus permitting.
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Two Manchester Hotels close temporarily
Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs, former Manchester United footballers turned hotel owners, are temporarily closing their two Manchester-based hotels.
Hotel Football next to Old Trafford stadium and recently opened Stock Exchange Hotel in the centre of Manchester will close on Sunday. The facilities at both hotels will be available for use by healthcare workers during the coronavirus outbreak.
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New Aparthotel planned in Newcastle
Property developer, Malhotra Group, has gained planning approval from Newcastle City Council for the redevelopment of a building at 1 Mosley Street into a new aparthotel. Plans would see a four to five storey extension added to the existing Grade II-listed building.
The new development would comprise 20 apartment hotel rooms over four floors together with a reception area, office space, a restaurant and bar on the ground floor plus a rooftop garden.
1 Mosley Street dates back to the end of the nineteenth century and lies within the Newcastle Conservation Area.
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Renovation ongoing at Leonardo Royal London City
Refurbishment work continues at the Leonardo Royal London City hotel and is due for completion in June 2020.
Leonardo Royal London City, formerly the Grange City Hotel, has 307 newly redecorated bedrooms with new furnishings including bespoke Leonardo Royal DREAM beds.
The lobby and reception areas are also undergoing a complete transformation.
Leonardo Royal London City will feature 'Corvo' and 'Leo'. Corvo will be an Italian inspired coffee, cocktail bar and all-day café. Meanwhile, Leo’s will serve a full cooked breakfast, an on-the-go breakfast option through to dinner in the evening.
Leisure facilities at Leonardo Royal London City will include a luxury spa and fitness club and City Virtual Golf.
Leonardo Royal London City has 12 meeting and conference suites laid out over a dedicated floor and all equipped with state-of-the-art audiovisual equipment. The largest room will accommodate up to 500 delegates.
Leonardo Royal London City is located in Cooper’s Row in London’s financial district, two minutes from Tower Hill tube station.
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Abbey Strand Apartments open in Edinburgh
Abbey Strand Apartments at Holyrood in Edinburgh is a royal-owned property. It has recently opened nine serviced apartments following a two-year-long renovation of the building.
The tenement building, parts of which date back to 1490, is located opposite the Palace of Holyroodhouse and the Scottish Parliament at the foot of the Royal Mile.
In medieval times the building was an almshouse with accommodation for the poor. In the 16th century it was a weapons store. By the 18th century it had become a brewery and a tavern as well as being home to a brothel-keeper. By the 19th century the building had become a sanctuary for debtors. In the 1850s the skeleton of a child was discovered in one of the walls of the building.
By the early 20th century the building had 'cleaned up its act’ and had become a restaurant, a confectioner, a tavern and a spirits merchant.
The new apartments now feature historic fireplaces and original stone walls, blended with all the prerequisites of a 21st century aparthotel but with “quirky windows".