Accommodation update: upcoming openings, what you may have missed and accommodation news

Upcoming openings December 2014: Staybridge Suites Vauxhall, LondonLocated in a leafy side street just off Albert Embankment and a few minutes’ walk from Vauxhall Underground and train station, the all-suite hotel, which is part of the InterContinental Hotel Group, is ideally suited for long-staying guests (minimum five-day stay, no maximum).Guests stay in contemporary studios or one-bedroom suites that have all the comforts of home, including wireless internet throughout. The fully equipped kitchen in each suite makes it easy for guests to prepare their own meals, with groceries for sale at the hotel’s 24-hour ‘Pantry’. The hotel’s Hub Kitchen will serve complimentary ‘make yourself at home’ breakfast, complimentary drinks and snacks three evenings a week at the Managers Social, plus it also offers a Fitness Centre. www.staybridge.com/lonvauxhall PR contacts: The Communication Group – Jennifer Ball, (jball@thecommunicationgroup.co.uk), Bea Bishop (bbishop@thecommunicationgroup.co.uk)January 2015: Urban Villa London, Brentford, West London Noho Hotel Group is scheduled to open its first Urban Villa Hotel in Brentford on 25 January 2015. Urban Villa is a boutique hotel comprised of 100 luxurious suites with panoramic skyline views, overlooking Kew Gardens and Gunnersbury Park. Designed by New York architects Grzywinski + Pons, the hotel has been created to couple the excitement of boutique hospitality with the comforts of residential living – accommodating both overnight and long stays. The 100 suites have been designed in a manner that combines a touch of Manhattan style with thoughtful British luxury with each suite to include a living room with state of the art in room technology, fully fitted kitchen and private winter garden. The all suite hotel will house Sour Diesel Lounge and BOKI. Sour Diesel is poised to be the region's social hub providing a wide range of fine wines, specialist spirits and cocktails, in addition to scheduled weekly social and networking events, for guests, local residents and corporates.BOKI is farm-style concept run by two barista gurus Kim and Boris, offering organically freshly roasted coffee from All Press and a hand-picked selection of Teas on offer. This offering will be accompanied by salads, craft beers, and cold pressed juices.Urban Villa will have Tailored Services, In Room Spa Treatments, Personal Training, Storage, Technogym Gym, and an adjacent Sainsbury's.www.urbanvilla.comPR contact: Imran Hussain imran.hussain@thcendeavour.comMarch 2015: Hotel Football, Manchester, North West England The opening date for the world’s first Hotel Football – owned by former Manchester United teammates Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville – has been pushed back to March next year. The 133-room, four-star hotel will feature hints to the ‘beautiful game’ running throughout its décor, while its Café Football (which has a counterpart in London) menu is designed by two Michelin-star chef Michael Wignall in collaboration with Café Football’s executive chef, Brendan Fyldes. The Old Trafford Supporters Club will be located inside the hotel, where guests and fans can enjoy the build-up to the game. www.hotelfootball.com PR contacts: Lisa Hale or Emma Cameron at Tangerine PR, hotelfootball@tangerinepr.com March 2015: Z Shoreditch, LondonZ 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 March 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-shoreditchApril 2015, Hotel Gotham, Manchester, North West England Hotel Gotham will open at 100 King Street in Manchester in April 2015. Hugely anticipated, the hotel is set in a stunning Edwin Lutyens building and will include 60 rooms spread over seven floors, with the reception and the restaurant on the 6th floor, and a striking bar and members club on the 7th. The hotel will include five inner sanctum suites. In celebration of the building, the decor takes cues from the art deco period and the dramatic windows offer fascinating views across Manchester.

Robin Sheppard, chairman of Bespoke "Hotel Gotham is really taking shape now. The construction team at Marshall's and our design partners at Squid-Inc are on track to deliver an exceptional and glamorous hotel, in a beautiful historic building. We can feel the excitement bubbling."

www.hotelgotham.co.ukPR contact: Gabriella Brunton gabby@streetand.co April 2015: Cockliffe Country House Hotel, Burntstump Hill, Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England Cockliffe Country House Hotel is a 17th century former farmhouse set in the heart of rural Nottingham, bordering the historically significant Sherwood Forest, and within easy reach of Nottingham, Mansfield & Southwell. The 11-bedroom property was acquired by independent hotel group, Heritage Estates, who already owns luxurious Kelham House, and will embark an extensive refurbishment scheme, investing up to £1m to transform the venue’s bedrooms, restaurant, and wedding and conference facilities. The refurbishment programme will begin in January, with phase one expected to be completed by April.www.cch-hotel.co.uk May 2015: refurbished spa at Ramside Hall Hotel, County Durham, North East England A leading North East hotel has unveiled its plans for an ambitious £18m development which will see the creation of a state-of-the-art luxury spa and 47 new deluxe rooms. Ramside Hall Hotel near to Durham will be opening the Spa at Ramside in the spring of 2015, with a range of exciting facilities including a 25m long pool, hydrotherapy pool, saunas and a range of different steam rooms. The project includes the creation of an outdoor balcony with an infinity pool spa, a Caldarium – a hot plunge pool – and a Rasul mud chamber. It will offer 12 therapy rooms, a gym, a dance studio and a hair salon, along with enhancing the hotel’s food operation with the addition of a new Asian style restaurant and bar. The spa is part of a massive investment in the four star country house hotel, with the additional bedrooms bringing the total up to 128. The on-going development come after a huge investment in the hotel’s golf facilities, with an additional championship 18 hole course created and unveiled earlier this year.www.ramsidehallhotel.co.uk Summer 2015: King Street Townhouse, Manchester, North West EnglandWork on the fifth venue in Eclectic Hotels’ portfolio is underway, with King Street Townhouse set to open in summer 2015.The Grade II listed building, located within the Upper King Street conservation area of Manchester, will be home to Eclectic Hotels’ second city-centre hotel. Facilities will include 40 bedrooms and suites, King Street Tavern (bar, restaurant and wine cellars) and afternoon tea rooms.The Eclectic Hotels’ group Manchester-located properties comprise Great John Street, the former Atherton street old school house, Didsbury House and Eleven Didsbury Park hotels, both previously Victorian Villas, and On the 7th members’ club at MediaCityUK.www.kingstreettownhouse.co.uk PR contact: Eleri Roberts at Rococo PR, Eleri.roberts@rococogroup.co.uk Summer 2015: Twr y Felin, St David’s, Pembrokeshire, South Wales Twr y Felin Hotel is being meticulously restored and extended to reopen as a luxury contemporary hotel in summer 2015. Located in the heart of the UK’s smallest city St Davids, just a 10 minute walk from Caerfai Bay it lies within the surrounding landscape of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. It will offer 20 ensuite luxury bedrooms, a sophisticated Bar and Restaurant offering the best of locally sourced ingredients, and an inviting lounge named Oriel (Welsh for gallery). Resident and non-resident guests alike will be welcomed to enjoy lunch, afternoon tea and dinner. Twr y Felin Hotel will join a select group of UK Art Hotels with a collection of over 100 pieces of art and sculpture. Leading UK urban artists including Phlash, Mr Jago, Xenz and Remi Ruff, Harry Adams and Pure Evil will be represented as well as Welsh artists such as John Uzzell Edwards, Brendan Burns and leading ceramist Adam Buick.Originally a Windmill built in 1806 Twr y Felin is a unique building whose character has been preserved, which is especially evident in the tower bedrooms. The upper tower suite offers three stories of luxury with its spacious bedroom and ensuite bathroom. Above is lounge, and on the top floor the observatory offering panoramic views over the St Davids Peninsula and its surrounding bays and islands.www.retreatsgroup.comPR contact: Paula Ellis paula.ellis@retreatsgroup.comAutumn 2015: Pullman Hotel, Liverpool, North West England The four-star Pullman Liverpool is earmarked to open on the site of exhibition centre ACC Liverpool in autumn next year.Integrated with ACC Liverpool’s new interconnected sister venue, Exhibition Centre Liverpool, Pullman Liverpool will be the second Pullman hotel in the UK, and the first outside of London. It will offer 216 bedrooms, free wi-fi and is located close to the city centre and all major transport links.www.pullmanhotels.com PR contact: Jennifer Cole, Jennifer.COLE@accor.comDate TBC 2015, InterContinental London – The O2, Greenwich, late 2015 The new InterContinental® London - The O2 is scheduled to open in late 2015. The luxury 453-bedroom 18-storey hotel and conference centre currently in construction as part of a 7.6 acre development scheme on the Greenwich Peninsula, a destination enjoying a huge surge in visitors following the 2012 Olympic regeneration project. With its enviable position on the banks of the River Thames, visitors can enjoy breathtaking views of the water and neighbouring Canary Wharf. The hotel’s location also benefits from easy riverboat access into Greenwich Pier and is only 400m from North Greenwich tube station where guests can reach London’s West End within 15 minutes. London City Airport, carrying more than 3 million visitors each year and serving the many business travellers into Canary Wharf and the City of London, is within six miles of the hotel.Facilities at the InterContinental London - The O2 include a luxury spa, hotel bar, two restaurants - comprising a fine dining and all-day dining experience - as well as a 18th floor Sky Bar boasting an uninterrupted, panoramic view across the water to Canary Wharf and beyond.PR contacts: Leah Eser or Julia Gosling, Leah.eser@daviestanner.co.uk / Julia.gosling@daviestanner.co.ukPLUS…New spa to open at the Swan Hotel, Suffolk, East England The 15th century Swan Hotel, located in the Suffolk town of Lavenham, around an hour’s drive from Cambridge, will open its Weavers’ House Spa in March 2015. The Weavers’ House Spa will feature the exceptional Temple Spa range of professional products. Over 30 results-orientated and total wellbeing sensual facial and body treatments will be on offer for men and women, plus bespoke day packages, to relax and revive.Facilities will include six treatment rooms with two relaxation suites; a couples room; manicure/pedicure area; aromatic steam room, hot stone sauna and an outdoor vitality pool. There will also be a retail boutique where consultants will advise on Temple Spa products for home use. www.theswanatlavenham.co.ukPR contact: Pat Edgar, PRMatters@dsl.pipex.comLong-lead: Opening 2016 – Four Seasons to move into Ten Trinity Square, LondonFour Seasons Hotels and Resorts, along with multinational developer Reignwood Group, are to open a 98-room Four Seasons Hotel London at Ten Trinity Square in the City of London as well as 41 private residences and a private members’ club. It will be located within the redeveloped former Port of London Authority building, and will be Four Season’s third hotel in London (the two others are based in Canary Wharf and Park Lane). The property will also feature two gourmet restaurants and a spa.www.fourseasons.com PR contact: Anna Dickinson at PRCo, adickinson@prco.com Long-lead: Opening 2017 – The Trocadero centre in London’s West End being turned into budget hotelHotel operator Accor has started work on the 583-room Ibis Styles Piccadilly Circus hotel, which is due to open in 2017 on the site between Shaftesbury Avenue and Coventry Street. The group also announced they would be opening an 80-room hotel in Leicester Square under their MGallery brand by 2016.The new Ibis Styles Piccadilly Circus will serve breakfast, which is included in the room rate, and have a bar but no full service restaurant.www.ibis.com PR contact: Sophie Black at PRCo, sblack@prco.comUrban Villa Edinburgh, Scotland, late 2016, early 2017. Designed by New York architects Grzywinski + Pons, Urban Villa Edinburgh is poised to be Urban Villa’s landmark boutique hotel, comprised of 183 luxurious suites, 8,000 square feet of restaurant and bar/lounge space, overlooking Union Canal with direct views of Edinburgh castle. The hotel has been designed to play homage to Edinburgh’s elegant cultural fabric while infusing elements of Manhattan and London sexiness.Each suite has been designed to include a fully fitted kitchen, living room and with half of the suites housing waterfront balconies.Urban Villa Edinburgh seeks to accommodate both short and long stays, seeking to convert Union Canal into the new social hub for Edinburgh’s local community. www.urbanvilla.comPR Contact: Eric Jafari Eric.Jafari@unionhanover.com Recent openings and refurbsOctober: The Crescent Turner Whitstable, KENT The Crescent Turner Whitstable, a new 18-bedroom boutique hotel, has opened in the historic market town of Whitstable. The Crescent Turner, perched atop Wraik Hill, boasts vistas over Whitstable town and out to sea, encompassing the famed oyster beds and then stretching out over the Isle of Sheppey. One can’t help, when viewing the sights from the hotel, not to be reminded of vistas evoked by JMW Turner’s apparitions, such as his painting of the ‘Seasalter Flats’ capturing a group of oyster dredgers at low tide. The contemporary seaside hotel has 18 individually designed bedrooms and also owns an iconic Whitstable Beach Hut. Recently renovated, the ‘Sundowner’ comes complete with kitchen, BBQ, chandelier and 3 canoes for you to paddle out. This unique and relaxing space can be taken exclusively for the day, whether for basking in the sun and enjoying a BBQ, which the hotel can provide a private chef and foods sourced locally for you (a rock oyster on Whitstable Beach has to be one for the bucket list). And for those colder months, one can pop down to cosy up and take in a brisk walk, and if a breathtaking storm should appear, then you can head for shelter, watching the rough seas whilst enjoying a chocolate chaud or a delicious 3-course dinner.www.bespokehotels.com/crescentturnerhotelPR contact: Gabby@streetand.co and Sarah Street Sarah@streetand.coSeptember: Artist Residence, LONDON Following on from quirky sister hotels in Brighton on England’s south coast and Penzance in Cornwall, south-west England, the latest design-led outpost of Artist Residence has opened in London. Located a ten-minute walk from Victoria station, the hotel is spread across five floors of a former pub and features two suites and eight 'House Rooms'.Like the other Artist Residence properties, artwork is a big focus of the London hotel and has been handpicked by the hotel owners from a variety of art fairs and independent galleries including Art Republic, Nelly Duff and Tag Fine Arts. The collection includes prints from Tammy Mackay, Connor Brothers and Dan Hillier.www.artistresidencelondon.co.uk PR contact: Ashley Wallis at Bacchus PR, ashley@bacchus-pr.coSeptember: Kings Hotel, Cirencester, COTSWOLDSHaving undergone an extensive £7m renovation, the 45-room Kings Head Hotel has become Cirencester’s first luxury bolthole hotel. Set in the heart of the historic Cotswolds town, it offers “outstanding hospitality and service, exceptional food and drink and luxurious spa treatments alongside cutting edge technology and sympathetic design”. Recent appointments include that of Alan Holmes as Restaurant and Cellar Manager - a former Sommelier of the Year. Alan’s previous roles include working with Marcus Wareing at Petrus and The Berkeley and Gerard Basset at Chewton Glen. The Kings Head re-opened on September 1st having been closed for redevelopment since 2007. Rates start from £135 per room per night including breakfast.http://kingshead-hotel.co.ukPR contact: Ian Weightman ian.iwms@virgin.net August: Trebberfedd Farm, Wales. Winner of best Organic Place to Stay! If the urge to seek an authentic country hideout for a weekend break in Autumn strikes, Trebberfedd Farm has a unique answer – a ‘hobbit’ style house in Ceredigion. Situated in mid-west Wales, on the coast just above Pembrokeshire, the Welsh speaking county of Ceredigion is a hidden gem that could easily feature in a Tolkien novel or film. Mountains, seas, rivers, green hills and hidden mist filled valleys make up the picture; not to mention ancient castles. All combine to give Ceredig’s dominion an air of fantasy. It is at the end of the Southern mountain pass road from Llandovery that you will find the small University town of Lampeter. And it is near here that the organic farm of Treberfedd lies and where two hobbit-style houses have appeared. Farmer at Treberfedd, Jack Cockburn, designed these holiday hobbit houses to blend into the hillside, that are truly inspired by JRR Tolkien’s The Hobbit. The houses are carved into the slope of one of the farm’s meadows. They have a warm blanket of turf on top and the front elevation opens out to panoramic views over the Aeron Valley and the Cambrian Mountains. The little houses are octagonal in shape with large windows either side of a glass door. Each window is on a different side of the octagon. From the inside you can enjoy a different angle on the countryside from each window. The view is amazing, a constantly changing panorama of sky, hills and mountains in the distance.PR contact: jack@treberfedd.co.ukCathedral 73 - luxury, boutique hotel opens in CardiffCathedral 73, a small, luxurious yet informal hotel, has opened in Cardiff. Specialising in personal service, this restored Victorian townhouse offers a butler service, a personal chef and a chauffeured classic Rolls-Royce. However, if guests prefer to look after themselves, three of the nine individually and elegantly decorated rooms and suites have their own kitchen. Tea at 73 showcases Cathedral 73’s signature afternoon teas, including a gentleman’s afternoon tea specifically designed for gents who prefer the fine things in life. Guests can also enjoy cocktails in the piano bar during the evening. Rooms start from £150 per night including breakfast.www.cathedral73.comThe Bear, Hay on Wye, WalesA Grade II listed FORMER 16th century coaching inn that has been turned into a beautiful 'boutique' style 5 STAR B&B with 3 rooms and just received 5 star grading by Visit Wales. The owners describe the B&B's decoration as 'eclectic minimalism'.www.thebearhay.com The Belfry, West Midlands, England Following a £26 million refurbishment, The Belfry has been restored to its former glory as a world-class business and leisure destination. Nestled in over 500 acres of idyllic countryside, The Belfry offers luxurious meeting and event spaces, signature rooms and suites, exceptional wining and dining, a night club, a new luxury Spa and Health Club and of course, world class golf. Beautifully secluded, yet well connected, the resort is a world away from the hustle and bustle of Birmingham, yet still just 20 minutes from the city centre and 10 minutes from Birmingham International Airport.Synonymous with golf and a Mecca for both professional and amateur, The Belfry has played host to more Ryder Cup matches than any other venue in the world, and is steeped in tournament history. The spiritual home of The Ryder Cup, The Belfry is home to 2 championship courses, the popular Derby course, welcoming golfers of all abilities and the PGA National Golf Academy.http://www.thebelfry.co.uk PR contacts: Virginia Webb, Ashleigh Brayshaw or Kate Ardron, firstname.surname@massey.co.ukSt James Hotel, Nottingham city centre Located in a quiet area of Nottingham adjacent to the infamous Nottingham Castle, St James Hotel makes the ideal base for any leisure or business traveller. The hotel has recently completed a full refurbishment programme which has transformed the existing hotel into a contemporary boutique feel property, and now boasts 87 guest rooms accommodating individual travellers, couples, families and groups. The Hotel has also completed a major renovation of its event space – ideal for conferences and events of any kind. Highlights include the penthouse suite, with stunning views over Nottingham Castle and a baby grand piano. www.stjames-hotel.com Robinhall House, just outside Befast, Northern IrelandBuilt by Rory McIlroy, golfer’s dream Robinhall House is set in 14 acres in the heart of North Down, N.Ireland. This gated 7,200sq ft property can sleep up to 16 people and incorporates several entertaining spaces including a private cinema, gym, hot tub, tennis court, fly-fishing lake and award winning gardens. Its most unique feature is a 'world-class' golf practice facility designed and built by Rory McIlroy incorporating several different types of grasses, rough, sand and is now available to play as an 9 hole golf course.www.robinhallhouse.com Blackwell House, County Down, Northern IrelandBlackwell House is a magnificent country house nestled in the rolling Co-Down countryside near the historic village of Scarva. This peaceful country haven has a mixture of contemporary furnishings and family antiques intermingling to create a striking interior with a comfortable homely feel. Three opulently decorated super king bedrooms all with uninterrupted views over the countryside and en-suite bathrooms complete with luxury bathrobes, slippers and fluffy towels and toiletries. Owner, Joyce takes care of all the cooking and has trained with Raymond Blanc in London. Joyce produces fine food and great hospitality using the best ingredients Northern Ireland can offer! The menus are a mixture of wholesome traditional family recipes handed down through three generations – and she cooks from her Great Aunt Maggie’s old hand written cookery books and is a big fan of Raymond Blanc recipes. Free range eggs from their own hens together with award winning meat from Quails and vegetables from local farmers. www.blackwellhouse.co.ukMore accommodation newsQuirky – Welsh Bunkhouse gets a slide for visitors to get to breakfast! Have you ever grown tired of stomping up and down steps and longed for the days when you could bounce downstairs in a sleeping bag? A luxurious bunkhouse in the Brecon Beacons has the solution.

A brand new tubular slide has been built inside a new bunkhouse, thanks to a collaboration with a local playground designer, so that guests can slip down freely from floor to floor on their own adult’s helter skelter. The slide means a sharp exit from the huge sofas on the top level down to the ground level, adding a playful twist to your average group holiday away.

The stylish bunkhouse is a converted chapel next door to Wye Valley Canoe Centre's River Cafe where visitors can hire canoes, kayaks, mountain bikes, tandems and Vespas. It is a great venue for large groups with 14 beds (sleeping 2 to 22) from £38 per person, per night. www.wyevalleycanoes.co.uk, www.wyevalleycanoes.co.uk/bunkhouse.htmlHarry Potter themed rooms at Georgian Townhouse Hotel, LondonA hotel in London has refurbished two rooms to become "Wizard Chambers", dressed with Potter-propriate touches like four-poster beds, trunks labeled "HP" and cauldrons. The hotel's website promises "unexpected wizardly details" as well. You can add on a tour to the Warner Bros Studio Tour: The Making of Harry Potter for a truly magical stay!