Lord Steel’s tower to be boutique hotel

Rob Powellin
News

A 16th century tower house in the Scottish borders belonging to former Liberal leader, Lord Steel, is to be turned into a boutique hotel.

Aikwood Tower was built in 1535 by the Ettrick Water and benefited from an award winning restoraton by Lord David Steel in the 1990s.

The five bedroom property also offers a vaulted dining room and great hall. The transformation into boutique accommodation is being undertaken Lord Steel’s son, Rory.

Mr Steel told the BBC, “By allowing visitors to the Scottish Borders to come and experience it for themselves, we hope many more people will come away with their own special memories.”

Council set to decide on Southend hotel expansion plan

Rob Powellin
News

Councillors in Southend on Sea will decide tomorrow night whether to give the go-ahead to a boutique hotel’s expansion plans.

The Roslin Beach Hotel in Thorpe Esplanade has submitted plans to create nine new guest rooms, a gymnasium and residents’ lounge with a view to taking the establishment from three star to four star. They propose connecting the hotel to a neighbouring property using a glazed infill.

Roslin Beach Hotel was established thirty years ago as a one-bedroom B&B and steadily grown since then. More recently it was purchased by Regis Entertainment Ltd and £150,000 has been spent onrevamping the kitchens as well as another £30,000 on refurbishing the car park.

Earlier plans to extend the hotel were thrown out with objections raised about a proposed wedding chapel at the hotel.

Council officers have now recommended that the new plans get the go ahead although the hotel can expect to be landed with a Section 106 condition to establish a new residents parking zone costing up to £42,000.

The application will be decided by the Development Control Committee at Southend’s Civic Centre on Wednesday night.

Brighton boutique hotel up for sale

Rob Powellin
News

A boutique hotel in Brighton is up for sale after it went into receivership.

The Blanch Hotel is a 12 bedroom hotel in Atlingworth Street in Brighton. The local newspaper, the Argus, reported that the previous owners, Chris Edwardes and Amanda Blanch, “racked up debts of £1million” in the nine years it was open.

Mr Stewart Gray has been appointed as the official Receiver and he tasked Christie + Co with handling the sale. They are currently marketing the hotel with a guide price of £950,000.

The hotel also includes a 40 cover restaurant, a “70s-inspired lounge and cocktail bar” and an integral flat for use by the manager or owner.

Click here for listings of other boutique hotels in Brighton.

‘Cucumber’ to feature new boutique hotel

Rob Powellin
News

Developers have applied to build an iconic new skyscraper in London which would include boutique hotel.

The Cucumber, as it has already been known, would be 460ft tall and feature hundreds of residential apartments , office space and a 90 bedroom boutique hotel.

The official name of the site is 1 Merchant Square in the Paddington Basin and the developers behind the project are the billionaires, Simon and David Reuben.

Plans for the tower have been submitted to Westminster City Council.

Marriott announces new London EDITION

Rob Powellin
News

Marriott has announced that it will be opening a new boutique hotel in London.

The hotel group has acquired the Berners Hotel in the West End, which has been closed since 2006, and plans to launch it as the first London hotel under its new boutique brand called EDITION.

EDITION is the result of a collaboration between Marriott and boutique hotel legend, Ian Schrager.

The Berners Hotel in Bernets Street opened in 1853 and closed in 2006 after its owners fell into administration. Renovation and refurbishment is expected to take up to two years.

“We are delighted to acquire Berners. It is a perfect property for an EDITION hotel in London. With its great location, beautiful façade, the building is a perfect canvass for creating a true work of art,” said Arne Sorenson, president and chief operating officer, Marriott International.

Ian Schrager added “I am thrilled to be returning to London for an incredibly special and historical building like Berners Hotel. I am excited and passionate about creating an authentic and original experience for this special EDITION hotel in this gateway city.”