Author: Katharine Jordan

One of Brighton’s best kept hotel secrets is to get a new lease of life. The 12-bedroom Blanch House in Atlingworth Street, Kemp Town, was purchased last week by independently owned Seventeenten Hospitality Ltd – with the aim of respecting the Regency townhouse’s heritage as one of the city’s first boutique hotels and further developing it as a warm, contemporary establishment offering a professional and personalised service, stylish accommodation and quality breakfast, at prices to suit most people’s pockets. Scheduled to open in July, Blanch House – located ten minutes walk from the centre of Brighton and a stone’s throw from the seafront – is currently undergoing a major refurbishment which also will enable it to become a top class venue with a ‘green’ ethos for weddings, civil partnerships, private functions, conferences, meetings, training, product launches and art exhibitions.

Accor Hotels has signed a franchise agreement with Focus Hotels adding 10 hotels to its network of Mercure properties in the first quarter of 2011

Leeds is expanding its conference offering with the New Ellington Hotel, which can offer guests 35 bedrooms in the city’s financial district. For meetings, the hotel can offer three conference rooms, for capacities ranging from 5 to 25.

Guoman’s 5 star hotel, The Royal Horseguards, last month opened The Equus Bar which has a real gentlemen’s club feel. The space can be hired for private events and is furnished with leather and chenille features

The University of Leicester has announced a £14m project to transform a Grade II Listed building into a leading residential conference venue. The University is planning to transform the five-acre former College Hall site in Knighton, which has not been used since 2005, into a high quality 117 en suite bedroom conference facility with break out rooms, dining facilities and 150-seat lecture theatre. Subject to planning permission, it will be the first time in the University’s history that an all-year round conference facility is available- currently residential conferences are only able to be held at University facilities during the holidays.  It would also allow the University to dedicate tailored facilities for academic and business conference needs. The proposed development, designed by Associated Architects of Birmingham, will mean that all inward investment for conferences would be able to be considered which would generate additional income to contribute to the development of the University.
 

The announcement comes just weeks after the University of Leicester opened its £17 million refurbished Percy Gee Students’ Union building and announced its intention to develop a:

–          £30 million Medical teaching building

–          £12.6 million Cardiovascular Research Centre

In total the University has invested £50 million in the last three years alone and the University has an anticipated capital investment programme of over £200m over the next few years. Funding for the proposed development is from a variety of sources including loans and reserves allocated for capital development.