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Stratford on Avon store to become a hotel
Plans to convert the former BHS store in Stratford-on-Avon into a 170-bedroom hotel have been approved.
The building is a Grade II-listed property but has been vacant since the demise of BHS in 2016.
The new hotel will include a restaurant, bar and gym as well as offering a space for a separate independent restaurant.
The new hotel is expected to operate as an Ark hotel, part of the Bespoke Hotels group.
The proposed new hotel would be located in Bridge Street in the centre of Stratford on Avon.
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New lifestyle concept hotel Birch – opening April 2020
‘Birch’ is a new lifestyle concept hotel being launched by Aprirose, the real estate investment company.
The first Birch hotel will launch following the renovation of the former De Vere Theobalds Estate Hotel in Hertfordshire.
The 140-bedroom Birch Theobalds Estate Hotel sits in 55 acres of countryside near Cheshunt.
Following an £8.5 million refurbishment programme, the Birch will comprise 140 bedrooms, a growing farm, two restaurants plus an interactive bakery in partnership with chef Robin Gill.
The Birch will also feature three bars, 20 events spaces, a co-working space, private dining spaces plus fitness studios, a lido, a pottery workshop and screening, music and art rooms.
Birch Theobalds Estate Hotel opens in April 2020. Owners are planning to open other hotels around London as well as new Birch Hotels in leading European cities.
Birch Theobalds Estate Hotel is located two minutes from the M25 and 11 miles outside of London.
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St Austell Brewery acquire two hotels
St Austell Brewery has just announced the acquisition of two hotels in Devon as part of its ongoing strategy to expand and develop its inns and hotels business.
Dartmouth’s Royal Castle Hotel with 24 bedrooms and The Royal Seven Stars in Totnes with 21 bedrooms will be managed as part of the group’s 182-strong estate, based in South West England.
Both hotels have a restaurant and bar as well as private dining and events space.
Both hotels enjoy landmark locations and waterfront views over the River Dart.
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Raffles to operate residences at Old War Office hotel
An agreement was signed in 2017 for the Raffles Hotels & Resorts to operate a new flagship hotel at the Old War Office building in London. They will now also be operating 85 residences at the Old War Office - to be branded ‘Owo Residences by Raffles’.
The Grade II-listed Old War Office building, originally completed in 1906, has just celebrated its ‘topping out’ ceremony and the hotel and residences are expected to open in early 2022.
The Old War Office will reopen as ‘Raffles London at the OWO’ with a 125 bedroom and suites, 85 private residences, nine restaurants and bars, a destination spa and boutique retail offerings.
Raffles London at the OWO will join a family of 16 Raffles hotels globally.
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Bodmin Jail Hotel opens May 2020
Bodmin Jail on the edge of Bodmin Moor in Cornwall starts its new life as a hotel and visitor attraction in May 2020.
Built in 1779 during the reign of King George III, Bodmin Jail has played an important role in Cornwall’s history. The last person to be hanged at the jail was in 1909. The jail finally closed back in 1927.
Bodmin Jail starts a new life as a visitor attraction and a hotel following completion of a major £40million investment. The hotel will be of a four-star standard with 70 bedrooms and retaining many of the original, less gruesome, features of the Grade II-listed building.
The hotel will sit alongside a visitor attraction - the ‘Dark Walk’ experience. Here visitors will be able to discover Cornwall’s most haunting histories in an immersive and interactive way.
The Dark Walk will use theatrical effects and the latest technology to transport visitors back to Cornwall’s murky past, enabling guests to witness at first-hand the brutal experiences of the penal life in a working 18th century prison on the fringes of Bodmin Moor.
Bodmin Jail Hotel will be operated by Interstate Hotels and Resorts.
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The Newt to open The Farmyard
The Newt in Somerset is an independent hotel which opened near Bruton in Somerset last August with 23 bedrooms. It is based in Hadspen House, a 17th century Grade II-listed country house which nestles amongst gardens, orchards, lakes and woodlands in the Somerset countryside. Since its opening the Newt in Somerset has garnered near universal acclaim.
This summer The Newt in Somerset is set to open The Farmyard. This is a former dairy farm on the estate which has been converted into hotel accommodation.
The Farmyard will have 17 bedrooms plus a swimming pool and dining facilities. It will be separate from the main Newt in Somerset Hotel.
The Newt in Somerset is close to Castle Cary station with its direct rail service to Bristol and London Paddington.