Pink Floyd fans will certainly be delighted with the forthcoming opening of the art'otel London. Starting this summer, they will be able to stretch out by the pool - on the rooftop, as it should be - and dream of seeing a pink pig floating in the air above Battersea Power Station. As on the famous cover of the album Animals which has made this 1930s power station an icon of the British capital. This huge listed building on the south bank of the River Thames is in the process of being regenerated, and its industrial framework which will house around twenty bars and restaurants, fashion boutiques and upmarket flats. The project, in which the architectural firms of Frank Gehry and Norman Foster are participating, will also see the construction of a 164-room hotel under the Radisson group's art'otel design brand.
London is constantly reinventing its heritage
Rock'n'roll, the London hotel business? It certainly is. The opening of Chateau Denmark is further proof of this, as it celebrates the memory of Jimi Hendrix and David Bowie, the Sex Pistols and the Rolling Stones. The entire music scene has passed through Denmark Street, with its guitar merchants and recording studios. In this arty setting, the very place where the Rolling Stones recorded their first albumThe former home of the Sex Pistols is being transformed into a 55-room glam chic hotel, due to open next spring. In what will undoubtedly be one of the year's flagship openings.
At the same time as it is rethinking its cultural heritage, London's hotels are also reinventing history. The great history, that of the world wars and the era when Winston Churchill and Lloyd George frequented the hotel. the Old War OfficeThe War Office, with its imposing neo-baroque façade, stands in the heart of Whitehall. Its metamorphosis into a very chic Raffles with 120 rooms and suites with 11 exceptional restaurants and bars, will make this iconic venue accessible to the public for the first time at the end of the year.
Although we will have to wait until 2024 to see travellers strolling through the corridors of the former American embassy, which has been transformed into a prestigious Rosewood 130 rooms, the Mayfair district remains a must for luxury hotels. This year, right next to this very chic future establishment, No 22 Grosvenor Square will see the opening of a 31-room private hotel-club, Twenty-Two, within the walls of an Edwardian mansion. Also in this district, in 2022, Mandarin Oriental will be adding a second address in the British capital, in addition to its Knightsbridge palace. Overlooking Hanover Square, the new Mandarin Oriental will offer 80 private residences and a 50-room hotel where travellers can enjoy an upmarket restaurant, a spa and a rooftop bar. Finally, it is also in this emblematic district, on Berkeley Street, that the eco-luxurious 1 Hotels will be opening later this year, with a 184-room urban retreat combining design and CSR, complete with a farm-to-table restaurant.
But Mayfair does not have a monopoly on chic and lifestyle. After last year's opening of the " super boutique hotel "At the end of 2022, the Soho district of The Londoner will be home to a hotel designed by one of the leading designers of the moment, the Swede Martin Brudnizki. Called The Broadwick, it will offer 57 rooms, including nine suites and a penthouse, with a residential atmosphere, most with balconies.
However, alongside these high-priced establishments, there are other hotels that epitomise the affordable lifestyle are also in the pipeline. CitizenM, for example, will be making its fourth appearance in the British capital near the end of the year. Victoria Station. The end of the year should also see the brand Hoxton is offering its fourth establishment, not in East London this time, but in Notting Hill, near Portobello Road, with the 237-room hotel The Hoxton Shepherd's Bush.
While Hoxton makes its way from East to West, the up-and-coming districts of East London are still attractive. The One Hundred Shoreditch will welcome its first guests in February, offering 258 rooms and suites with separate areas for sleeping, working and relaxing, and a new, modern design. residential atmosphere even more so in the studio suites with terraces. With a total of six restaurants and bars, the One Hundred Shoreditch has a meeting area with a view on the top of its seven floors, comprising five meeting rooms, almost adjoining the rooftop bar, which can also be privatised for events.
Hotel development is also continuing at the City. Following the opening last year of a luxurious Pan Pacifica Westin and a Canopy by Hilton hotel, the area around the business district will see the arrival in spring of thea new member of the Curio Collection by HiltonThe Lost Property St Paul's London, with views of the famous cathedral and the neighbouring City.
As for the Stratford, in renewal since the 2012 Olympic GamesIn the second quarter, the Hyatt group will take over a hotel complex that previously housed two IHG brands, Holiday Inn and Staybridge Suites. After renovation, this complex integrated into the Westfield Stratford City shopping centreOne of the largest in Europe, it will house a 225-room Hyatt Regency business hotel with 628 m2 of meeting space, and a Hyatt House with 127 flats ideal for long stays.
