English Corner
Major new London hotels for 2017
Ben WestWith a population of more than eight million that is growing all the time, the sprawling mass that is Greater London never ceases demand for new and revamped hotels. 2017 is no different, with a host of exciting projects having opened or in the pipeline.
Harnessing the creativity and tech spirit of Stratford City in East London, and overlooking the site of the 2012 Olympics, the 150-room Manhattan Loft Gardens Design Hotel occupies the seven lower levels of the 42 storey Manhattan Loft Gardens, a mixed used development with three 'sky gardens' that ensure that outdoor space is never far away.
Also in East London, The Good Hotel has just opened and is London’s first floating hotel. With 148 rooms, it has been built on a large floating platform at Newham’s Royal Docks, and has a very progressive ethos. The mission of this not-for-profit hotel is to invest in the local community, encouraging unemployed people back into work while offering luxury accommodation to guests. The project was transported from its previous base in Amsterdam and will remain in London for five years.
5-star hotel in an iconic City of London building
Right within tourism central, the Ibis Styles Piccadilly Circus will be located within the famous Trocadero complex at the very heart of the West End. An extensive renovation will result in a 583-room hotel offering a distinctly ‘London’ personality and an upbeat, vibrant decor. Very family-friendly, it will have a kids’ area in the lobby and family suites.
In response to the enlarging London Stansted Airport, the Hampton by Hilton Hotel being built close to the main terminal at Stansted Airport is set to open in the summer. The £45m (56m CHF) project will feature 357 guestrooms, making it the largest Hampton by Hilton in Europe. It will join the Hilton, Holiday Inn, Radisson Blu and Premier Inn hotels already operating at Stansted, bringing the total number of bedrooms on the site to more than 1,600.
The first bookable rooms on the website for The Ned are in May, and this ambitious 5-star hotel in an iconic City of London building, the imposing former headquarters of the Midland Bank, is the flagship hotel from the Soho House Group which is increasingly branching out from its famous private members’ clubs into hotels. The buiding is steeped with historic features, which include extensive walnut wood panelling and 92 marble columns in the old banking hall alone. As well as 252 rooms and suites, there will be nine restaurants, a New York-style deli and a Parisian cafe. A rooftop bar with landscaped terraces, a health spa and gym will add to the opulence.
Another notable building in the City of London opens its doors to hotel guests on January 26. Ten Trinity Square has been sympathetically transformed into a luxury Four Seasons hotel. Overlooking the Tower of London and with views of the River Thames, it was originally the headquarters of the Port of London Authority, it opened in 1922 and now has 100 guest rooms and suites, restaurants, bars, meeting salons and a spa.