Virgin Hotels Edinburgh
Opening: October 2022
A phased opening has commenced at Virgin Hotels’ first UK outpost. With 222 bright and airy Chambers and Grand Chamber Suites, the hotel promises an elegant stay with warm textile decorations, and locally sourced accessories and lighting. Virgin is home to a selection of drinking and dining outlets, including: Commons Club, a restaurant and bar that acts as a modern-day social club; the cosy Funny Library Coffee Shop, offering a selection of teas, coffees, house-made pastries and sandwiches; Eve, an all-day dining space; and Greyfriar’s Hall, a 19th century church that has been beautifully restored and repurposed as a special event venue with a rooftop sanctuary with unobstructed views of Edinburgh Castle.
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Chambers from £320 per night. virginhotels.com
Raffles London at The OWO, London
Opening: Winter 2022
Raffles Hotels and Resorts and Hinduja Group is set to open London’s first Raffles address at the end of 2022, located in the landmark Grade II listed former Old War Office on Whitehall. Once inhabited by Britain’s most famous statesmen and spies from Winston Churchill to Ian Fleming, it will be open to the public for the first time with 120 rooms and suites plus 85 branded residences, 11 restaurants and bars including a rooftop bars with views across Whitehall, The Mall and Buckingham Palace.
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The Broadwick – Soho, London
Opening: 2022
Featuring 57 rooms and suits, The Broadwick Soho is the first London hotel designed by Martin Brudnizki, the man behind the beloved interiors at Annabel’s and The Wolseley. The designer describes the new venture as ‘your eccentric godmother’s Soho townhouse’, with many of the higher-tier rooms and suites featuring private balconies overlooking the bustling streets of the city. The rooftop cocktail bar is also sure to be a Soho hit.
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The Albion – Aberteifi, Wales
Opening: Now Open
The renowned fforest will launch The Albion in 2022 – a hotel housed in two historic warehouse buildings. Comprising 23 bedrooms with views onto Wales‘ River Teifi, the property will celebrate the town’s maritime heritage, while retaining as much of the original buildings as possible, leaving parts raw and telling its own story. Each room will have the feeling of a ship, with custom-made furniture from hand-picked reclaimed materials, Welsh wool blankets, and textile decor woven to fforest’s own designs.
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+44 (0)1239 623633 / coldatnight.co.uk
Image (c) Heather Birnie
Fort Road Hotel – Margate, Kent
Opening: Now Open
This pioneering hotel is the product of longtime collaborators – Matthew Slotover, co-founder of Frieze magazine and fairs; Gabriel Chipperfield, private residential developer; Tom Gidley, artist – who have reunited to offer the modern traveller a new definition of ‘hotel’. Rooted in design, art, architecture and food, Fort Road Hotel on Margate’s seafront promises to be an exciting destination. The historical building – bought in a state of decay four years ago at auction – has been completely overhauled and reimagined into a 14-room hotel with an additional top floor and terrace (with 360° panoramic views of the vast Margate seascape). Inside, vibrant colour schemes and art accompany period furniture and furnishings made from the highest quality materials. The menu – overseen by Head Chef Daisy Cecil – will be inspired by late 19th and early 20th century female food writers, and chef residencies, collaborations and workshops will occur throughout the year.
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The Relais Cooden Beach – East Sussex
Opening: Now Open
After the success of Relais Retreats’ first property – The Relais Henley, which opened in Henley-on-Thames in summer 2021 – the team are renovating their East Sussex property, with expected completion later this year. With nine rooms and one suite already renovated and available to book, this 1930s property is a chic coastal hideaway and beach club, complete with its own private beach for guests to enjoy. With the help of Paris based designer, Pascal Allaman, the completed resort will house 45 airy rooms with international design influences and stunning sea views across the English Channel. Celebrating local produce, The Rally restaurant features freshly caught fish and seafood, and summer guests will be able to enjoy the Beach Club with classic sun loungers and parasols.
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Rooms start from £265 for a double room, including bed and breakfast
+44 (0)1424 842281 / therelaisretreats.com
The Other House – South Kensington, London
Opening: Now Open
Paving the way for a new era of slow travel, The Other House is a unique hospitality concept which offers visitors their very own ‘second home’. Created by property doyenne, Naomi Heaton, rooms are designed to be used whenever the guests are in town – whether that’s a few days or a few years. Guests will enjoy homely and contemporary apartment-style living with the benefits of luxury hotel services at their fingertips, on top of the plethora of amenities, from bars and restaurants to a wellness area with a pool, sauna, steam room and gym. Combining the best of a hotel, private residences and members club, The Other House offers an innovative and luxurious alternative when visiting the city.
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+44 (0)20 3846 6000 / otherhouse.com
Lost Property – St Paul’s, London
Opening: Now Open
The latest addition to the Curio Collection – Hilton’s growing hotel portfolio of one-of-a-kind hotels – is Lost Property. Opening this summer, the hotel is located right in the heart of London, within walking distance of the likes of St Paul’s Cathedral, Shoreditch and South Bank. The interiors of the historic building have been redesigned by Ica and Rani Ahluwalia, who have sought to capture the vibrancy of the local area with industrial themes, colour pops and patterns echoing the architectural forms of the neighbouring streets.
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+44 (0)204 5530 555 / lostpropertyhotel.com
Gleneagles Townhouse – Edinburgh
Opening: Now Open
The iconic sporting and country estate of Gleneagles launched its first city dwelling in St Andrews Square, Edinburgh earlier this year, reimagining the space as Gleneagles Townhouse. Offering 33 bedrooms, the townhouse is also home to a members club, with access to private spaces and on-site gym and wellness clubs. The rooftop terrace offers views across the city previously only enjoyed by the rooftop statues on the former Bank of Scotland headquarters.
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+44 (0)800 917 4655 / gleneaglestownhouse.com
Nici Hotels – Bournemouth
Opening: Now Open
New five-star hotel concept, Nici Hotels, opened its first hotel this year in Bournemouth. Having transformed what was formerly The Savoy into a new destination resort, the new hotel hosts 70 bedrooms, a vibrant bar and restaurant, outdoor terraces, landscaped gardens and a feature pool. Taking inspiration from Miami’s South Beach lifestyle, Nici Hotels allows guests to dive right into the resort lifestyle for a fun and relaxing getaway.
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Rooms from £250 per room, per night
+44 (0) 1202 018 555 / nicihotels.com
Marine Troon – Ayrshire, Scotland
Opening: Now Open
Formerly The Marine Hotel, this 89-key hotel sits in the seaside town of Troon on the Ayrshire Coast. There’s also an all-day bar and restaurant, meeting and events spaces, and a spa and fitness centre kitted out with an indoor pool, sauna, steam rooms, and a squash court to boot. Of particular appeal to golf fans, Marine Troon boasts unobstructed views of the 1st and 18th fairways of Royal Troon’s Old Course, which has played host to nine Open Championships, and features interiors inspired by the sport.
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+44 (0)1292 314444 / marineandlawn.com
Chateau Denmark – Soho, London
Opening: Now Open
Fancy sleeping in the building where the Stones recorded their first album? Having opened earlier this year, Chateau Denmark is a new and independent brand set across 16 buildings, with 55 Session Rooms and Apartments featuring distinct designs inspired by the rebellious spirit of Soho. Operated by Carrie Wicks’ CAW Ventures with interiors from the award-winning Taylor Howes, the property captures an old-world aesthetic bound with modern times.
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Session Room rates start from £510; apartments rates start from £660; long stay rates are available on request.
+44 (0)20 3656 1013 / chateaudenmark.com
Inhabit Queen’s Gardens – Bayswater, London
Opening: Now Open
The goal of Inhabit Hotels is to create restorative, environmentally and socially-conscious places to stay in the city. Inhabit Queen’s Gardens is the brand’s second London hotel, having opened in Bayswater earlier this year. Set across a crescent of mid-19th Century townhouses on a tree-lined square near Lancaster Gate, Inhabit Queen’s Gardens comprises considered social spaces and 159 guest rooms. Public areas include a 70-cover restaurant and bar with a plant-heavy menu, comfortable lounge areas for socialising and working, and a noise-free library. The hotel has pledged to work with 100 social enterprises and small, socially-conscious businesses.
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Nightly rates at Inhabit Queen’s Gardens start from £170, based on double occupancy, room only
Picture: Tim Evan Cook
The Retreat at Elcot Park – West Berkshire
Opening: Now Open
Debuting earlier this year, The Retreat Elcot Park is the second hotel by The Signet Collection, following the success of The Mitre in Hampton Court. Housed in a Grade II listed 18th-century building between Hungerford and Newbury, The Retreat offers 55 rooms with stunning views of the Kennet Valley – the perfect jumping off point from which to visit Downton Abbey’s Highclere Castle, and Newbury racecourse. But The Retreat is also a destination in its own right, with six eco lodge residences, an outdoor infinity pool, tennis courts, a spa, two restaurants, a croquet lawn – as well as a walled garden, landscaped gardens and woodland walks. The Courtyard, a mixed-use retail space, features a bakery, coffee shop, hair and nail salon, wine store and monthly farmers’ market. There’s also a lovely al fresco terrace at the 1772 brasserie, where No. 3 Gin is hosting a takeover this summer complete with special cocktails.
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Rates begin at £180 per night
+44 (0)1635 800520 / [email protected] / elcotpark.com
The Twenty Two – Grosvenor Square, London
Opening: Now Open
Set within an Edwardian Manor at number 22 Grosvenor Square, The Twenty Two hotel opened in April, complete with an all-day public restaurant, a private members’ club, and 31 bedrooms and suites. The food offering is overseen by Executive Chef Alan Christie, and the all-day public restaurant serves modern-British menus with influences from southern Europe. Members of The Twenty Two and in-house hotel guests are invited to use the club as a place to collaborate and unwind, with exclusive access to an all-day lounge space with a bar and open outdoor terrace that overlooks Grosvenor Square, as well as an evening dining room with a covered outdoor terrace.
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+44 (0)203 988 5022 / the22.london
room2 – Chiswick, London
Opening: Now Open
Chiswick, west London, is home to room2, the world’s first ‘whole life net zero hotel’. The hometel concept merges home and hotel stay experiences while encouraging guests to embrace a sustainable lifestyle. The 86 bespoke rooms have been crafted in collaboration with local artisans, from bespoke marbled print wallpaper to handcrafted mirrors, and loose bespoke furniture manufactured within 10 miles of the property and made with Forest Stewardship Council timber.
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Rooms at room2 Chiswick start from £129 per night for 2 people staying in a snug room.
Fairmont Windsor Park – Windsor
Opening: Now Open
Fairmont Windsor Park is a brand new countryside hotel in Berkshire, set beside the 4,800 acres of Windsor’s Great Park. The hotel has 200 rooms and suits, seven restaurants and bars – including an Orchid Tea Room – as well as a spa with 18 treatment rooms.
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A nightly stay in Fairmont King Room starts at £425
+44 (0)1784 535 555 / fairmont-windsorpark.com
