INTERNATIONAL REPORT—London is calling for many hotel companies. Here’s the latest properties that are set to make their debut:
RIU to Open Hotel in Central London
RIU Hotels & Resorts has bought a building close to Victoria Station, Westminster Cathedral and Buckingham Palace, which it plans to convert into a four-star hotel as part of its Riu Plaza urban line.
By the end of 2020, the future Riu Plaza hotel in London will become the chain’s first hotel in the United Kingdom, a country that represents a large proportion of RIU’s clientele in Spain and the Caribbean, and where the chain has spent some time seeking the ideal opportunity to expand the city hotel brand.
The hotel that RIU is planning will have 350 rooms, and it will be geared mainly toward guests visiting London on sightseeing holidays.
Luis Riu, CEO of RIU Hotels & Resorts, explained that “location is very important for all our hotels, but for the Riu Plaza line it is essential that we are located very close to the places of cultural and tourist interest and very well connected. After years spent studying the best offers in the city, we are very pleased to announce this project, for which we estimate an investment of around €250 million (approximately $295 million) to cover the purchase of the building and the refurbishment. The location is unbeatable, the building is in excellent condition and I think that in less than two years we will be able to celebrate the opening of our first hotel in London.”
The building was originally constructed in the 1960s and fully renovated in 1997. The future RIU hotel will keep the structure and the best aspects of the building, and the interior will be completely transformed, with attention to design and comfort as well as the latest developments in energy efficiency and sustainable operations, according to the company. The hotel will also have a bar and restaurant, and an openair terrace.
IHG to Open First U.K. Kimpton Next Month
IHG will soon debut its boutique luxury brand Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants in the U.K. with the opening of Kimpton Fitzroy London in late October.
Located in London’s Bloomsbury neighborhood in an iconic heritage building, which originally opened in Russell Square in 1898, the hotel will be named after the original architect of the hotel, Charles Fitzroy Doll, a titan of British architecture in the Victorian and Edwardian eras who specialized in designing hotels.
Earlier this year IHG and Covivio entered an agreement to rebrand and operate 12 hotels (and one pipeline hotel) currently operating under the Principal and De Vere brands. The Principal London is the first of these hotels to be rebranded as Kimpton Fitzroy London. Next year will see a continuation of the brand’s momentum with additional Kimpton hotel openings in highly desirable cities such as Edinburgh, Glasgow and Manchester.
Dalata Hotel Group to Open Clayton Hotel in Aldgate London
Dalata Hotel Group plc has exchanged contracts to acquire the long leasehold interest of a hotel under development, located at Aldgate, London for a total consideration of £91 million (roughly $119.5 million). As part of the transaction, Dalata will acquire the entire issued share capital of Hintergard Limited from Aldgate Hotel Holdco LLC, an investment vehicle of an international private equity real estate investor.
Hintergard Limited owns the 300 year leasehold interest of a hotel under development, located at Aldgate, London. The transaction is conditional on the completion of the hotel to an agreed specification. The construction of the hotel, which will be branded Clayton Hotel Aldgate London, is expected to be completed and operational toward the end of this year.
The hotel will have 212 rooms, with a restaurant, bar and access to a fitness center. It will be located adjacent to Aldgate East Underground Station and in close proximity to the new Liverpool Street and Whitechapel Crossrail stations, both of which are scheduled to open in December 2018.
The transaction will be funded by an additional debt facility which has been secured from the company’s existing banking partners.
Dermot Crowley, deputy CEO – business development & finance, said, “We are delighted to secure this new hotel in Aldgate, London. We already successfully operate two Clayton hotels in the Greater London area at Chiswick and Cricklewood. This new hotel gives us a presence in a key central location within the city and is ideally located for corporate customers who want to be close to the City of London and leisure guests visiting the many attractions that the city has to offer. Access to the Aldgate area will be further enhanced with the opening of two new Crossrail stations at Liverpool Street and Whitechapel in December 2018.”