THE BUSINESS TRAVEL MAGAZINE I 39 The Review ➔ Station hotel’s renaissance
THE Victorian Gothic masterpiece overlooking London's St Pancras station will open its doors as a five-star hotel this month. The 245-room Renaissance
St Pancras is resplendent in the original Midland red and Barlow blue colour schemes, beautifully restored to its 1873 origins and boasting corridors wider than the average sitting room, gigantic windows, feature fireplaces and ceilings soaring to over 18 feet in the main building. “What we’re doing here is different to anything we’ve got globally,” explains Ed White, director of sales and marketing for the hotel. “It’s a flagship hotel and it’s redefining Renaissance as a brand globally,“ he says. “We’re pitching to those VPs who still want
BOUTIQUE LAYLA
LAYLA, Liverpool’s first five-star boutique hotel will open this summer in the city centre. The 84-bedroom property will be managed by the Bespoke Hotels Group. Facilities include a health club, indoor pool, gym, private screening room, the Cigar Terrace and two restaurants, brasserie-style Madison’s and The Annexe.
THE ROOM REPORT IN BRIEF
• WALDORF Astoria’s London Syon Park Hotel is now open. The new- build 137-room hotel is located in 200 acres of parkland seven miles from both Heathrow and Knightsbridge. The hotel has its own helipad, the Kallima Spa and five restaurants and bars offering ‘landscape cooking’, using the park’s seasonal ingredients.
to be looked after and travel on more flexible travel programmes, and we're competing with the likes of the Savoy, Andaz and Langham.” The former booking hall is a bar
and restaurant, while the Ladies Smoking Room, Station Masters Office and Billiard Room have been
converted to some of the eight meeting spaces. There is also the Gilbert Scott British brasserie and The Chambers Club akin to a hotel executive floor and designated for use by Marriott Rewards Gold and Platinum members and those occupying any of the 38 suites.
SHERATON LEADS THE WAY
THE Sheraton hotel brand is spearheading global growth for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, particularly in China. Sheraton represents 30 per cent
of all Starwood Hotels’ current development plans worldwide, with 50 per cent of that occurring in China. Some 25 new Sheraton hotels are due to open this year, including 16 across China – with a fourth in Shanghai, its second in
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Beijing and two in Guangzhou – taking it to 53 in the country by the year’s end, over half-way towards its goal of 100 by the end of 2012. Starwood will also open its first Sheraton in Bangalore in 2011, strengthening its lead as the largest operator of five-star hotels in India. Also scheduled to open this year are the first Sheraton in Hiroshima, a second in Seoul and a second in Montreal.
• THE Mercure London Paddington hotel opened in March, close to the station which hosts the Heathrow Express. The 83-room, four-star hotel was refurbished for its Mercure takeover, with a revamp of the reception, bar, restaurant and other public areas. It is one of three new hotels that will all re-open under the Mercure brand in the next three months, with Kensington and Nottingham both scheduled to open for business this summer.
• PREMIER Inn’s Heathrow Airport property has completed a £2.5million refurbishment, with additions including a new business lounge area, 350-seat restaurant and bar area, and express check-in kiosks. The hotel has 590 rooms and its car park 260 spaces.
• MINT hotels has spread its wings to Europe with the opening of Mint Hotel Amsterdam this month. The four-star 553-room hotel is in the heart of the city, 15 minutes from Schiphol Airport. The City Café offers a contemporary menu with a British twist, while there are three lounge bars to choose from: the river-facing Eastdock Lounge, the rooftop SkyLounge, and the Lobby Lounge.
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