Tag: London hotel openings
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Here's One London Hotel That Won't Be Opening in Time for the Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympics are only two months away and we've been tracking the numerous hotel openings in London leading up to the event (You can see those stories here.)
But sadly, one hotel will not make it in time.
The InterContinental Westminster has pushed back its opening date from Spring 2012 to Spring 2013. This hotel has already been delayed once before, having missed opening in time for the Royal Wedding. (Hat tip to commenter guanche who pointed out the delay.)
We've been hearing about this property for a few years now but we're guessing its running into some issues with the renovations. The hotel was originally built as a hospital and was previously in use by the government as home for the Treasury Solicitor. Not an easy conversion task.
Still, ever hopeful, the hotel does have a Facebook page.
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ME By Melia London Now Opening on July 15 for Nearly £400 a Night
As the Summer Olympics get closer, we expect a rush of hotels in London to open, like the ME by Melia London. The hotel initially was set to open on June 4 but today we navigated the dizzying ME website and found the hotel is instead opening on July 15 at nearly 400GBP a night.
That's for a deluxe room which includes a rain shower, music speakers, free WiFi, built-in adaptors for Europe and USA, an integrated digital media hub, mood lighting, a sitting area, an in-room spa menu and a bunch of other amenities, standard (mini-bar) and not (pillow menu.)
Rooms on the desirable Level (which are the 8th and 9th floors of the hotel) start around 552GBP a night and include balconies with seating areas and killer views of either Covent Garden or the Thames.
Regardless of what room they book all guests can partake in the On Top Radio rooftop (named after the adjacent Marconi House and former home of the BBC) with seating for 140 people as well as the downstairs STK steakhouse.
Shockingly, we did still find rooms available for £455 a night on July 27, opening night for the Olympics. Sure, that might be close to a $1,000 USD but it's a new hotel on the opening night of the Olympics! Some one out there must want to splurge, no?
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Firmdale's Dorset Square Hotel Will Open June 18
Well, lookie here. Another new hotel opening in London just in time for the Summer Olympics.
This time it's from the intimate collection of London (and one NYC) boutique hotels, Firmdale--Dorset Square Hotel in the city's Marylebone neighborhood.
The hotel itself has actually been around for a while but it recently got a renovation from fairy godmother (and Firmdale's owner) Kit Kemp. Kemp has integrated her signature accents of "bold colours and textures" as well as pretty-looking fabric patterns (she makes floral look not just acceptable but desirable) and original art.
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More Hotel Love Planned for London's Southbank
The Mondrian London is rising.
As far back as November 2010 we were listing new hotels in London to watch out for as we were starting to have trouble keeping track of all the new ones coming up.
Some of the hotels have opened (Hi Belgraves!) and some we are still waiting for with baited breath (who wouldn't after the daredevil preview from the top of Shangri-La's The Shard tower?).
Development is certainly not showing any signs of slowing down around town, and that includes the Thames river's Southbank. The Shangri-La will radically change the London Bridge area, and we've told you about the Mondrian London arriving inside Sea Container House, just west of the Tate Modern museum, next to the famous OXO Tower.
But that's not all, not one but as many as four new hotels could be popping up steps away from the Mondrian.
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Here's Yet Another Hotel That's Opening in London This Summer: The Cafe Royal
If you were crestfallen to hear that the Bulgari London, now opening June 1, would be out of your price range, you'll be happy to know that there's another new hotel opening in London this summer (actually, there's quite a few, thanks to the Olympics) that will better suit your budget--The Cafe Royal.
We first learned of this place way back in 2008 when plans were first announced to turn the landmark Cafe Royal on Regent Street into a hotel. Now, nearly four years later we're starting to learn a little more about the property and thanks to our Hotel Bond, James Bond, we've got some snapshots of the construction too.
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The Bulgari London Hotel Now Opening June 1
Well, here we are. It's April and we've just learned that Bulgari London will not open this month. However, it will open on June 1, just in time for the Summer Olympics.
Not only do we have a more realistic opening date but we've also got some on-the-scene snapshots from our London spy. Our Hotel James Bond reports:
The exterior looks finished, but windows on the ground floor are still boarded up / covered, and you could see work ongoing in the rooms. The hotel sits diagonally across from Candy & Candy's One Hyde Park (where a number of apartments are available during the Olympics at a cool £100K+ a month should you be so inclined). It's steps away from Hyde Park, but I don't think there'll be much in terms of views from the rooms.
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The Bulgari London Hotel Still Set for April Opening (and Charging At Least $697 a Night)
The other week we were skeptical about the opening of the Bulgari London Hotel which was set for April but given that April is just a few weeks away, you'd think the hotel's website would have a little more going for it.
Nevertheless, according to luxury travel agent Virtuoso, the Bulgari London is indeed opening in April and Virtuoso guests will get a special opening rate of $697 a night. Boy, we'd hate to see what regular guests will have to pay.
Virtuoso guests will also get a $119 credit at the hotel's Bulgari Spa which sounds quite heavenly with 11 private treatment rooms, one double spa suite that includes its own steam room, jacuzzi and treatment room and a 25-meter pool made out of Vicenza stone featuring a mosaic in Bulgari colors of green and gold.
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Progress! Marriott's New Edition Hotel in London Gets a GM
While Marriott's Bulgari London Hotel is not quite sure of its opening date, the planned Edition London is moving forward having just appointed a general manager.
UK hospitality news CatererSearch.com posted the announcement of David Taylor as GM of the new Edition. Currently, Taylo is the general manager of the Hoxton Hotel, known for its famous one pound hotel rooms. Yet while there's a GM now in place, the 200-room hotel, which will be built out of the old Berners Hotel, won't open for another year. (Meanwhile the Edition website still says 2012.)
Sad to see the Edition miss out on the Olympics fun, but this is very good news for the once-struggling Edition brand as a whole.
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Will The Bulgari London Hotel Make Its April Opening Date?
There's nary a Bulgari toiletry in sight at the upcoming Bulgari London Hotel
Earlier this year, we had learned that the Bulgari London was aiming for an April opening. But now that March has arrived, lions and all, we began to wonder--is the hotel going to make it?
The hotel's website currently says London 2012 and has put up a bunch of email addresses to inquire about the hotel, reservations, jobs and the accompanying residences on site.
While residences at the hotel are selling well--someone paid 7,000 per square foot for the unfinished penthouse that sits on top of the hotel--we've yet to see any construction images of the property nor have we heard any sort of peep about the rooms, amenities (obvs, there will be tons of Bulgari stuff everywhere) and starting room rates.
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How Convenient: The Bulgari London Hotel is Aiming for an April Opening
We know that all eyes will be on London for the Summer 2012 Olympics but we'll be keeping our well-trained hotel geek eyes on the London Hotel scene all year long as a deluge of hotels are expected to open. And of course, most of these hotels are opening just in time for the Olympics. Like the Bulgari London.
When we last checked in on the hotel, we had heard of a Spring 2012 opening date. But now, according to an article last month on the Business Traveller site, the 85-room luxury hotel with residences attached will open in April.
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Thompson's Belgraves Hotel Will Open on February 1 at £215 a Night
Just the other week we had speculated that The Belgraves, Thompson Hotels very first London hotel, would open sometime around January 16 but now we've got word that bookings are actually open from February 1.
But there's some even better news here--prices start at £215 a night for a king deluxe room with lounge area. That's an advance purchase rate, meaning no refunds or cancellations, but it's a huge improvement from the previous opening rate we first heard of £336 a night.
So what do you get for £215 a night? For starters, a king bed with Sferra linens, a white and grey marble bathrooms with marble floors, a walk-in shower, toiletries from Penhaligon's and an LCD flat-screen TV. The hotel will also have an 80-cover restaurant from Chef Marc Hix as well as a library bar, a fitness center and a lobby scene that aims to be "a second home for both hotel guests and London’s glitterati alike."
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The Z Hotel Soho in London is Easy on the Wallet, Not So Easy On Your Wingspan
Our spies on the ground in London have told us there's yet another new hotel open for us to check out. And fortunately, this one is billing itself as "designer label but without the designer price tag."
The Z Hotel Soho is located off Charing Cross Road, south of the Soho Square Garden, with 85 rooms built around a central courtyard. While the exterior is described as having "classical architectural proportions", the rooms boast a way more contemporary look with 40" flatscreen TVs, glass partitions around the bathroom, iPod docking station which plays through the TV and our fave amenity, free WiFi. For your toiletry whores, they've got Thierry Mugler in the bath.
But don't get too comfortable. At just 8-9 square metres, the rooms are teeny tiny about the same size as the Tune Hotel. In fact, the loo is at the foot of your bed and you may have to watch for the shower head going awry and spraying your bed. But it's not like the hotel doesn't warn you about the cramped quarters. Right on the Z Soho's website it says:
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