London's Sea Containers House will finally be fulfilling its original role as a luxury hotel from 2014. Morgans Hotel is getting ready to convert this building on the banks of the River Thames in the Southwark district of the British capital. Originally intended as a hotel, this office building is to be transformed into a vast complex comprising top-of-the-range offices and a 360-room hotel. The New York group, which bears the name of its flagship hotel designed by Andrée Putman, has chosen the Mondrian brand to decorate the establishment, which will include a restaurant and two bars, one at the foot of the building and the other on the roof.
The group, which owns most of its hotels, is increasingly focusing its strategy on hotel management. It recently completed the sale of its two other London properties, the Sanderson and St Martins Lane, while retaining management for a period of 40 years. However, according to Bloomberg, the hotel group is on the verge of acquiring the Hoxton Hotel, one of the trendiest new hotels in East London (see Business Travel no. 129).
