A 'Whirlpool Hotel' is Coming to London

May 12, 2009 at 11:10 AM | by juliab | Comments (0)

Here we were thinking that innovative hotel designs only work for the likes of Barcelona, but there�d be no chance of seeing them in hearty old London. And then we read this article about the latest hotel in the pipeline for the capital: the so-called "Whirlpool Hotel."

The Whirlpool Hotel is as yet unnamed but is being planned by US billionaire Stan Thomas, who's just won planning permission to build a �150m hotel in a vacant building in Trinity Square, opposite the Tower of London. And in the middle of the hotel, he�s going to build a courtyard, garden and a whopping glass atrium, which will look like a whirlpool from above.

We actually walk past this building most days, and although we've never been inside, (something to do with it being empty for years, probably), we can promise it has a lot going for it, whirlpoolish look aside. It's directly opposite the Tower of London for a start, so it'll have that, the Tower Bridge and the Thames in its sights on one side, and, depending on how high up it goes, St. Pauls, the Gherkin and the City round the back. Pretty awesome views all round, then.

There's not long to wait, either: according to the plans, it'll be all done by 2012. So that's another 121 rooms freed up for the Olympics.

However, it sounds like there's little chance of normal folk getting a look in: The suites are particularly oversized, according to the Evening Standard, because "the pilot and the chauffeur have to sleep somewhere." Maybe we could just change jobs.

[Photo: Evening Standard]

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