Hotels, Venues & Event news
A £1bn project to turn Olympia London into a world-leading cultural hub has been approved by planners. Work will begin from next year, with the first tenants moving in by 2023.
Permission has been granted to transform the 132-year-old exhibition centre into an arts, entertainment, events and creative business quarter which will feature;
De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms, located in Covent Garden and part of De Vere’s portfolio of event destinations and country estate hotels, have revealed the results of a £700,000 refurbishment of its meetings and events spaces, bringing them in line with the company’s innovative Smart Space meetings concept. The investment in De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms is part of De Vere’s wider £50m refurbishment of its portfolio.
The property features De Vere’s innovative meetings concept, Smart Space, which comprises nine service features designed to offer a highly responsive, personalised meetings and events service. The service includes everything from a live availability booking service to truly tech-savvy support, with up to 1GB super-fast Wi-Fi, interactive displays and an on-site team of friendly experts to help overcome any tech issues a client may face. This service is available in all event spaces throughout De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms, including the Grand Hall.
Meliá Hotels International has announced plans to revamp its INNSiDE by Meliábrand. In 2019 INNSiDE by Meliá will expand to resort destinations in order to bring a stronger leisure and wellness offering to its portfolio.
INNSiDE will have 22 hotels, with plans to expand into resort locations in Europe and Indonesia, including Fuerteventura, Mallorca and Bali, as well as urban locations in Asia, Europe and the Middle East.
The hotels will include fitness suites, digital fitness software and on-site swimming pools. Daily yoga classes will be available at the brand’s beach locations, with weekly classes available at urban locations. All properties will have open lobby spaces for meetings, whether social or business, as well as creative meeting room spaces including a cinema, wellness studio and recording studio, which can be hired for events and functions.
The Master Robert hotel near London Heathrow Airport is to be rebuilt and relaunched as an Ibis Styles property with a residential element.
The new look 125-bedroom hotel in Hounslow will be a nod to 1930s design, with inspiration from nearby early to mid-20th century buildings including the Hoover building, Firestone headquarters and Gillette factory.
Ibis Styles Heathrow East will be Splendid’s fourth franchise with AccorHotel, alongside the Mercure Hotel Leeds Centre, Mercure Bristol Brigstow and Ibis York Centre. Splendid’s portfolio of hotels comprises 19 properties operating under Hilton, InterContinental Hotels Group and independent brands, as well as AccorHotel badges.
Le Méridien St.Julians Hotel & Spa to become Malta Marriott Hotel & Spa following €25million investment
The first Marriott hotel to be opened in Malta, St.Julians area by summer 2019. The extensive transformation will see the hotel increase its rooms to 327, offering guests a wider choice of premium category rooms and executive suites.
Spanish chain Riu Hotels & Resort is set to open its first UK property in London at a cost of €250m (£218m).
The company has acquired 1 Neathouse Place near Victoria Station and plans to convert the building into a four-star, 350-bedroom hotel as part of its Riu Plaza urban brand, with a prospective opening date of 2020. The building was originally constructed in the 1960s and was fully renovated in 1997. The hotel will retain the structure of the building, with the interior being completely refurbished. The hotel will also have a bar, restaurant, and an open-air terrace.
The company has six Riu Plaza hotels worldwide, as well as two under construction in Spain and New York.
AccorHotels has signed two new Mercure hotels in Yorkshire with five set to open in the county by the first quarter of next year.
The 59-bedroom Mercure Leeds Centre, which is already open, and the 98-bedroom Mercure Tankersley Manor, due to open next year.
The 49-bedroom MGallery York and 114-bedroom Mercure Kenwood Hall are undergoing extensive renovations and the Ibis Budget Sheffield is under construction, with all three set to open this year.
AccorHotels has more than 4,600 hotels, resorts and residences across 100 different countries.
The 115-bedroom Arbor City hotel in London, located in Whitechapel, close to Aldgate East tube station, is to be re-branded as a Hampton by Hilton property following its acquisition by real estate and private equity company Dominvs Group.
The owners will operate the hotel under a franchise agreement with Hilton and will explore plans to expand the property, including the addition of 150 bedrooms on an adjacent car park to the rear of the property.
The group’s collection of hotels includes properties in partnership with InterContinental Hotels Group at Aberdeen Airport (Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn Express); the Dixon, Tower Bridge, operating under Marriott Hotel’s Autograph Collection; and three under development in the City of London, Oxford and Bath.
Summer 2019 will see the launch of new hotel brand, Inhabit Hotels, in London. Set in six Georgian townhouses just off Paddington mews, Inhabit London will offer a restorative townhouse experience to guests and the local community alike.
The hotel’s 90 rooms have been carefully considered and offer a soft and minimal style, enabling guests to declutter their minds and enjoy a restful night’s sleep.
Inhabit London will offer a café, a space for both guests and the local community, serving up quality coffee, cold-pressed juices and a delicious all-day menu.
Hotel guests will also have 24-hour access to a pantry, stocked with smart snacks sourced from small businesses and suppliers.
Bless Hotel Madrid has opened its doors to guests with the hotel becoming the first to open under the Bless Collection Hotels brand from Palladium Hotel Group. Further hotels will be rolled out in cosmopolitan cities and international beachfront destinations starting with Ibiza this summer.
Bless Hotel Madrid is located on Calle de Velázquez in the heart of the city’s fashionable Salamanca district and features 111 rooms, rooftop pool, bowling alley, spa and gym, gourmet destination restaurant, three bars and conference spaces.