Accommodation update: recent and upcoming openings, including a look ahead to 2015
Upcoming openings
September: Mercure Box Hill Burford Bridge Hotel, Box Hill, Surrey, SOUTH-EAST ENGLAND
The historic Mercure Box Hill Burford Bridge Hotel will re-open on 1st September 2014 after an extensive nine-month restoration programme which extends from the entrance and public areas to the acclaimed restaurant and bar, 57 guest rooms and eight meeting rooms.
Having always been the heart of the community and a popular meeting place for drinks, Afternoon Tea and dinner with friends and family, a real focus has been put on the design of the public areas to make Mercure Burford Bridge Box Hill Hotel the place to meet and relax.
www.mercure.com/gb/hotel-6635-mercure-box-hill-burford-bridge-hotel/index.shtml
PR contact: Alexandra Pinhorn Alexandra@magellan-pr.com
September: Mondrian London at Sea Containers, LONDON
Morgans Hotel Group has opened reservations for Mondrian London at Sea Containers on the capital’s South Bank, in advance of the hotel opening its doors on 30 September 2014.
The first ever Mondrian branded boutique hotel outside the United States, the hotel will bring the energy of the original Hollywood hotel to the iconic Sea Containers building. With a combination of unique riverside views, two exciting new bars, a restaurant and a bustling urban vibe reflecting the local neighbourhood, Mondrian is set to become London’s new destination.
Many of the 359 guest rooms and suites offer stunning river and city views. Mondrian London will bring the glamour of Anglo-American, transatlantic travel together with Tom’s unique industrial constructions to create a distinct design for the property. With the Golden Age of Transatlantic Ship Travel as a departure point and ocean liner cabins as his inspiration, Dixon has created fitted and well-thought-out rooms, incorporating metallic and brass throughout.
PR contacts: Sophie Coughlan s.coughlan@contagiousagency.com, Claire Honey claire@nyloncommunications.com, Alice Grier alice@gemmabell.com
September: The Hox, Holborn, LONDON
The award winning Hoxton in East London is heading central to High Holborn, where the second hotel in the series, The Hoxton, Holborn will open its doors on 25th September 2014. The new site, located within a Grade II listed building, will house 174 bedrooms over five floors.
Each of the rooms are cleverly designed to maximise comfort, space and style. Puffy duck-down duvets and 280 thread count linen deck the beds with their ultra-comfy mattresses. En-suites are tiled in black and white with walk-in showers and all are furnished with fluffy towels and a new range of Pen and Ink smellies, created in partnership with Mark Buxton.
Every guest can take advantage of the complimentary healthy breakfast bags by hanging a special paper bag outside the room door which is then magically filled over night with a granola yoghurt, banana and OJ.
PR contact: Julia Pearson Jules@thehox.com
October: Aloft Hotel, Liverpool, NORTH-WEST ENGLAND
In October, Aloft® Hotels will arrive in Liverpool, transforming the iconic Royal Insurance Building into the stylish and contemporary Aloft Liverpool. Having lain derelict for the past 20 years, Aloft is breathing new life into one of Liverpool’s most loved Grade II listed buildings creating a modern, fresh and fun destination.
The 110-year-old building will retain much of the original Neo-Baroque architecture, with the interior transformed to offer cutting-edge design with ultra-comfy beds, oversized showers and plenty of tech-savvy features.
Situated on North John Street, Aloft Liverpool will offer something new to savvy travellers tired of the bland, one-size-fits-all mid-market hotel model. The hotel is also perfectly situated within easy reach of fabulous shops, buzzing nightlife and Liverpool’s world-class galleries and museums. Getting around the city couldn’t be easier, with key attractions within walking distance, and local transport links just minutes away from the hotel.
PR contact: Sasha Fox sasha@kaper.uk.com
October: AMBA, across LONDON
Amba is launching with four hotels, situated just a few paces from world famous landmarks, in London’s most prestigious locations: Marble Arch, Tower Bridge, Charing Cross and Buckingham Palace Road. The four hotels will re-open following major refurbishments, with Charing Cross the first Amba hotel to launch in October 2014.
Following a multi-million pound renovation this Grade II Listed Charing Cross hotel in London has become a world-class, luxury hotel offering every modern advantage. What hasn’t changed is the unique character, including stunning views over The Strand from Victorian feature windows.
At Amba, every room has been designed by the voice of the global customer and the highly knowledgeable staff will unearth hidden gems like a local and deliver the best guest-centred experience in the industry.
Amba sees technology as an enabler and every hotel in the brand is underpinned by seamless technology, from a Smart TV in every room to the behind-the-scenes operations that ensure staying in an Amba is an effortless experience. Wi-Fi isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity. That’s why Amba has invested in the fastest, free, reliable Wi-Fi for all guests.
PR contact: Sasha Fox sasha@kaper.uk.com
October: The Beaumont, Mayfair, LONDON
The Beaumont, Jeremy King and Chris Corbin’s first hotel will open in Autumn 2014.
Evoking the elegance and personalised hospitality of pre-war Mayfair, it is grand in style and yet intimate in feel. With 73 rooms, including 23 suites, a particular feature is ROOM, a suite in the form of an inhabitable sculpture by Antony Gormley. The hotel will include a classic Grill Room, an American Bar, a separate Residents’ Bar & Lounge, a Boardroom, and a Gymnasium and Spa with Hamam.
PR contact: Martine de Geus Martine.deGeus@CorbinKing.com
8 December: Hotel Football, MANCHESTER
‘Eat, sleep, drink football’, is what guests are invited to do at Hotel Football in Manchester, one of the best cities to visit for fans of ‘The Beautiful Game’ (it’s home to two Barclays Premier League clubs as well as the National Football Museum). There will be a Café Football on site (there’s already one branch in London) and a rooftop football pitch!
PR contact: hotelfootball@tangerinepr.com
Recent openings and refurbs
The openings and refurbs we have heard about since our last accommodation update…
Laura Ashley Hotel, the Belsfield, Lake District, NORTH-WEST ENGLAND
The Belsfield Hotel, Lake District, has partnered with Laura Ashley in an association which has seen the Grade II listed Victorian property refurbished and branded as Laura Ashley Hotel, the Belsfiled, Windemere
As part of a complete renovation, the hotel has been decorated by the Laura Ashley interior design service team, using the brand’s world-renowned Home collections. The Belsfield was originally built in 1845 and stands next to Lake Windermere in the South of the Lake District National Park. Surrounded by six acres of beautiful gardens, the picturesque view of Lake Windermere and the Cumbrian Hills can be enjoyed throughout the hotel. Facilities include a heated indoor swimming pool, sauna and gym.
The hotel and its grounds offer facilities for a number of functions such as business conferences, weddings and special occasions.
www.lauraashleyhotels.com/thebelsfield
PR contact: Shelley Armes-Mather Shelley.Armes-Mather@lauraashley.com
This is the second Laura Ashley Hotel to open in Britain; Laura Ashley Hotel The Manor opened in April 2013. A third hotel with strong links to Laura Ashley is Llangoed Hall in Wales, which was bought by Laura Ashley’s husband, Sir Bernard Ashley after she died and whose rooms feature beautiful Laura Ashley furnishings www.llangoedhall.co.uk
Cheval Harrington Court, South Kensington, LONDON
Luxury serviced apartment specialists, Cheval Residences, opened its latest serviced residence Cheval Harrington Court on 4th June 2014. The luxurious 4 star residence is a contemporary and stylish retreat in the heart of buzzing South Kensington, two minutes from South Kensington tube station.
PR contact: Johara Chambers, Four Communications Johara.Chambers@fourcommunications.com
Cathedral 73, Cardiff, WALES
A dignified Victorian town-house with funky, fashionable 21st-century accommodation, rooms and suites at Cathedral 73 are bold and beautiful. There are some fantastic and unusual touches like optional butler service, personal chef and a chauffeured Rolls-Royce or guests can be self-sufficient – some rooms have state-of-the-art kitchens. Afternoon tea is on offer in ‘the proper, traditional way’ – then a trendy piano bar brings the property to life in the evening.
PR contact: Tommy Williams stay@cathedral73.com
Harp Cottage, Hay-on-Wye, MID WALES
This 17th-century stone cottage is owned by a sculptor and writer, and the artistic taste can be seen in every detail of the renovation. Located in the charming and tranquil village of Old Radnor, this is a great choice for a peaceful getaway. Here you can forget phones and computers and opt for books and board games or enjoy roaming the Powys hills. For autumn, enjoy frosts and clear stars, long walks in Nash Woods for rich autumn colour, and celebrating the apple harvest with a complimentary hamper of local organic ciders!
PR contact: Annabel Herrick annabel@alexandramarr.com
Bunkhouse at The River Café, Glasbury, Powys, MID WALES
There is a new bunkhouse at the River Café in Glasbury. It’s a really funky new place – very stylish and quite different. They are planning to install a large slide as an alternative route down from the main living area.
The Chapel is a bunkhouse for adults ideal for family and friends get-togethers, work outings, book club get-aways or hen and stag parties. Modern bathrooms, power showers, cotton sheets, a huge woodburning stove, comfy sofas, beautiful tables made by local designers Barnby and Day and a slide to get down to the ground floor!. A place to have fun, to relax, unwind and enjoy the company of good friends. Nibbles or supper on arrival, breakfast, packed lunches, lunches and evening meals can all be pre-ordered next door at The River Cafe.
www.wyevalleycanoes.co.uk/bunkhouse.html
Up-graded YHA, Pen Y Pass, Snowdonia, NORTH WALES
YHA Pen Y Pass has just been refurbished, taking it from a 2 to a 4 star rating. The YHA not only provides accommodation for over a hundred people a night, but also provide a great service to visitors in Snowdonia .
They have a great bar / restaurant which is open to the public, they also have storage lockers and shower facilities for the public, which has really taken off with the walkers /hikers bikers in the area and they are providing a superb service to the community.
www.yha.org.uk/hostel/snowdon-pen-y-pass
New spa at London Hilton on Park Lane, LONDON
Located on the lower ground floor of the hotel, the new spa opening will be the first ever permanent Spa to You outlet, offering guests and visitors premium spa treatments from around the world, ranging from the latest vino-therapies from France, to traditional Japanese nightingale dropping facials, which contain a natural cleansing enzyme and have become popular with Hollywood celebrities.
PR contact: Emily Conradi EConradi@golleyslater.co.uk
The Bell at Bramshaw, New Forest, SOUTHERN ENGLAND
Fresh for Autumn in the beautiful New Forest, the Bell at Bramshaw has opened its completely refurbished restaurant and public rooms. Ownership of this Inn (and much of the landscape) are unchanged in hundreds of years, but this cracking New Forest bolthole now features stylish bedrooms and openfires and flagstone floors in its beautifully refurbished restaurant. According to the season, look out for game from the Crosthwaite- Eyre Estate; Sopley farm strawberry rhubarb; Birchwood Farm pumpkin; Pond Head Farm New Forest acorn-fed pork; New Forest Capreolous smoked mutton Dorchester and Jennings of Lymington organic bread cobs.
Outside the hotel you will often find New Forest donkeys - and you’ll always find the hotel’s two excellent golf courses.
PR contact: Chris Dee deechrs@gmail.com
Renovations at Gravetye Manor Hotel, Sussex, SOUTH-EAST ENGLAND
Located in the verdant Sussex countryside and with a history stretching back to the Elizabethan era, Gravetye Manor is the quintessential English Country House Hotel. Nestled within a 1000 acre estate – with 35 acres of formal gardens – carefully created by revolutionary gardener and botanist William Robinson from 1884 to 1935, the property was transformed from a home to a 17 bedroomed hotel in 1958. Recently redecorated, flora and fauna is the theme within Gravetye Manor’s 17 bedrooms and suites with each one named after tree species found on the estate and nods to florals throughout the décor teamed with rich fabrics, fine antiques and hand crafted beds. Each room features stunning views of the gardens as well as flat screen televisions, i-pod docking stations and complimentary Wi-Fi and mini-bar.
PR contact: Jenni Holman Jenni@rivapr.co.uk
New pool at Wilderness Reserve, Suffolk, EAST OF ENGLAND
Set within a vast private estate of 4,500 acres in Suffolk is Wilderness Reserve. A luxury collection of fully serviced properties available to rent for weekends or longer stays. Only a short drive from the celebrated Heritage Coast and a 2 hour train journey from London, it is easily accessible.
Sibton Park, the largest property in the estate, was built in 1827 and is a Grade II* Listed Georgian country house offering accommodation for up to 24 people in spacious bedrooms with luxurious en-suite bathrooms. The triple height entrance hall leads into beautifully proportioned formal reception rooms such as the Drawing Room adorned with the original Chinoiserie wallpaper and a huge Dining Room.
The rest of the estate is divided into the The Rural Collection, comprised of The Clock House, a former Georgian coach house, which has 3 beautifully decorated en-suite bedrooms, and The Barn. Converted from a traditional 18th Century Suffolk Barn, The Barn has 4 en-suite bedrooms. There’s also Hex Cottage, which has no electricity and is heated with a wood burner which also provides hot water. The cottage is simply decorated with antiques but in great comfort providing a very special place for people hoping to get away from the world.
Completed in August 2014, a new swimming pool has been designed by Kim Wilkie, the leading English landscape architect. The oval-shaped pool, which is naturally-filtered and totally chlorine-free, is situated in a secluded hollow in the Georgian pleasure grounds beyond Sibton Park. Bathers will descend a series of broad grass steps in Wilkie’s signature style to the pool below which also features an integrated hot tub on a deck.
PR contact: Nia Burke Nia@annscott.co.uk
2015 openings
January 2015: Z Shoreditch, LONDON
Z Hotels, the boutique-budget hotel group which offers out-of-town prices in city central locations in London, Liverpool and Glasgow opens its sixth property in London's Shoreditch in January 2015. It will be the fourth hotel for the group in London, adding to existing hotels Z Soho, Z Victoria and Z Piccadilly which launched in summer 2014. The 107-bedroom Z Shoreditch is housed within a former office building in The Bower, a new mixed-use 320,000 square foot development in the Old Street area close to Shoreditch Grind and Silicon roundabout. The development includes a restaurant set within landscaped public spaces, Gymbox on Old Street, and retail units.
www.thezhotels.com/z-shoreditch
Spring 2015: King Street Townhouse, Manchester, ENGLAND
Located within the Upper King Street conservation area of Manchester City Centre, this Grade II listed building, dating back to 1864, is undergoing redevelopment into a luxurious and intimate townhouse hotel by Eamonn and Sally O'Loughlin, proprietors of Eclectic Hotels.
Spring 2015: Hotel Gotham, Manchester, ENGLAND
The spectacular new Hotel Gotham is scheduled to open in spring 2015 - with Bespoke Hotels promising to make it 'a fun, witty destination and a little bit naughty. We want it to be the sexiest hotel in Europe'.
The completely new hotel in the central conservation area of Manchester is set in one of the city's grandest, listed buildings - a former bank premises at 100 King Street designed by Edwin Lutyens and referenced in Pevsner's Architectural Guide.
www.bespokehotels.com/hotelgotham
Summer 2015: M by Montcalm Shoreditch, LONDON
M by Montcalm will be opening a five-star, super high tech hotel in one of London's most vibrant districts. M by Montcalm Shoreditch London Tech City is situated off the so-called 'Silicone Roundabout' in Shoreditch and offers 200 beautifully designed rooms filled with the very latest gadgetry including plasma screens doubling as mirrors, complimentary Wi-Fi and smartphone docks.
www.themontcalm.com/hotel-m-by-montcalm-shoreditch-london-tech-city-128.html
Qbic London to take its success nation-wide - starting in London
Since opening in London’s East end last November, the success of Qbic Hotel London City has led to an acceleration of its expansion plans, to include four new sites over the next two years, with a focus on the capital.
The hotel’s unique concept, paired with low out-lay costs, a strong business model and competitive return on investment, has fast tracked Qbic’s projected growth plans beyond expectations.
Featuring innovative design, sustainable practices and community initiatives, Qbic Hotel opened last November in a disused office block on Adler Street in Shoreditch, just around the corner from Brick Lane. With a lead in price of just £69 per room per night, free WiFi and other quirky offerings, Qbic promises an affordable and sustainable model.
PR contact: Kath Kay kkay@prco.com
Date TBC: Four Seasons Heron Tower, Liverpool Street, LONDON
Adjacent to the Kohn Pedersen Fox designed Heron Tower, completed in 2011, will be the third Four Seasons hotel in London, joining existing sister hotels at Park Lane and Canary Wharf, when it opens in 2015. The Four Seasons Heron Tower will sit within the 43-storey tower at Heron Plaza on the 110 Bishopsgate site, adjacent to the existing 46-storey Heron Tower which, at 202 metres (663 feet) tall with a 30 metre mast on top, is one of the tallest buildings in the City. Set on a prominent site at the junction of Bishopsgate and Camomile Streets, Heron Plaza will house the Four Seasons hotel with its 190 bedrooms and suites, 120 private residences, conference and banqueting facilities, a gym, spa and swimming pool as well as street level shops and cafes. Located just 150 metres from Liverpool Street Station, the hotel - and entire Heron Plaza development - will be well positioned for the new Crossrail due to open in 2017.
www.heroninternational.co.uk/four-seasons-hotel-and-residences-at-heron-plazza
Date TBC: Opening of InterContinental Greenwich
The 452-room property, which will be known as the InterContinental London The O2, will stand at 19 storeys high. The five-star hotel will feature Europe's largest pillar-free ballroom, a health spa, several restaurants and a panoramic ‘Sky Bar’ with views of Canary Wharf and the River Thames.
Date TBC: The Gainsborough Bath Spa, Bath, SOUTH-WEST ENGLAND
The Gainsborough Bath Spa will exclusively offer the only natural thermal spa within a hotel in the United Kingdom. Keystone to the geographic heart of Bath, the hotel is a moment's stroll from Bath Abbey, the high street shopping on Milsom Street, The Roman Baths and is well situated to explore the city and its other pre-eminent attractions. Behind the Georgian, Grade II listed façade are ensconced a series of intimate, elegantly laid out public spaces which follow the original layout of the Pinch design. These include ballrooms, the Restaurant and The Lobby Lounge. All 99 guestrooms and suites are custom furnished, subtly combining fine period details with graceful interiors and modern functional elements.
Encompassing two levels, the 1,300 square metre spa, features an apothecary, natural thermal water pools, ice chamber, sauna, steam room, movement studio, Fitness Centre, 11 treatment rooms, and therapeutic treatments inspired by the local thermal waters.
www.thegainsboroughbathspa.co.uk
Date TBC: Innside by Melia, Manchester
Melia will open its first hotel in Manchester in 2015, as part of the First Street North development. It promises sleek, design-led rooms, state-of-the-art technology, and stylish destination bars and restaurants.
Various dates 2015: Living Architecture: two new England properties and one in Wales
From the organisation that brought us a hotel shaped like a ship, perched atop the Royal Festival Hall, three new properties are scheduled for a 2015 opening.
A House For Essex, in Essex (South East England) will give guests the opportunity to stay in an artwork – a house designed by artist Grayson Perry. Due to open in Spring 2015.
In mid Wales, near the small town of Llanbister, amidst a landscape of rolling hills, the architect John Pawson has designed a timeless house of simplicity and beauty – Life House/ Tŷ Bywyd. The site lies on the lower slopes of a small and intimate welsh valley, remote and away from any near neighbours. Carefully placed to take advantage of the distant Welsh views, it is a series of ‘rooms’ set along two long corridors, at right angles to one another. Each corridor leads to two separate spaces of contemplation, one semi-submerged in the ground, the other set in the wider landscape.
In south Devon, between the resorts of Salcombe and Hallsands lies a landscape of rolling hills, wooded river valleys, patchwork fields and small stone villages. Here, Peter Zumthor will create The Secular Retreat. On top of a hill, with endless views onto the rolling south Devon landscape, Zumthor has designed a haven from the pressures of modern life, a space dedicated to calm, reflection and perspective.
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