The Warwick Hotels group is making its London debut with the acquisition of The Capital hotel in upmarket Knightsbridge and its neighbour, the Hotel Levin. Located on Basil Street, near Hyde Park, these five-star establishments have an intimate, typically British feel. While The Capital has 49 rooms and 12 luxury flats plus Michelin-starred seafood restaurant Outlaw, The Levin is a small boutique hotel with just 12 keys. " We are proud to be able to complete this transaction with the Levin family and to continue the family spirit that characterises our group. "said Richard Chiu, President and Founder of Warwick Hotels and Resorts.
In order to maintain this family spirit, former owner Kate Levin will remain as General Manager of the hotel. Thanks to this acquisition, Warwick Hotels and Resorts is strengthening its offering in major business cities, and is already present in Paris, New York, Geneva, Dubai, San Francisco and Barcelona. The group now has more than 55 hotels and 9,000 rooms worldwide.
In a completely different style, but also for the longer term - the end of 2018 - Yotel has announced its arrival in the centre of the British capital. In a way, the capsule hotel-inspired brand with its designer room-cabins is following in the footsteps of its beginnings in 2008, when the brand appeared within a few weeks of each other at Heathrow and Gatwick airports.
While Yotel continues to expand in global hubs - after Paris CDG last June, a new YotelAir is expected in Singapore Changi in mid-2017 - the group is now focusing its development on city-centre hotels, building on the success of its New York establishment near Times Square. " Cities with major hubs are metropolises where top-of-the-range hotels are fairly expensive and often very full, while entry-level hotels are not always very attractive. "explains Hubert Viriot, CEO of Yotel.
It is in the Clerkenwell district, not far from Saint Pancras station, that Yotel will be setting up next year with a 212-booth establishment that also includes a fitness room, a coworking space, a bar and an independent restaurant. Other urban projects are under way in Boston - to open next summer -, San Francisco, Miami, Geneva and Dubai, in addition to a second establishment in New York, in the Brooklyn district.
