London set to welcome a number of exciting new hotels and venue developments
London hotels and venues prepare for industry reopening with new launches
Number of highly anticipated hotels set to open in the UK capital this year
11th MARCH 2020. As the vaccine rollout picks up pace across the UK and the government creates a path to safe recovery, London’s MICE industry is getting ready to reopen with a host of new hotel openings and venue refurbishments underway.
The city is set to see a number of highly anticipated hotels open their doors this year, as hotel operators show strong appetite for increasing hotel capacity across the city in expectation of an uptick in bookings when it is safe to do so. Venues and hotels in London have also undergone a number of redevelopments and new investments over the past year.
Worth £23bn to London’s economy and £70bn across the UK1, the events industry has a vital role to play in London and the wider UK’s economic recovery. While the UK capital awaits the return of business events and travellers to the city, venues and hotels have been investing in smart stages and hybrid event studios, undertaking refurbishments, increasing sustainability measures, and getting ready for new openings.
Several international hotel brands have chosen London as their location of choice for their first venture into the European hotel market, with NoMad London, Mondrian Shoreditch and Pan Pacific London to open in the first half of the year. London is also set to play host to the world’s first super boutique with the highly anticipated opening of The Londoner by the Edwardian Hotel Group. With a strong focus on sustainable luxury, this five-star hotel delivers on opulence with sophisticated rooms, private cinemas, and a state-of-the-art ballroom.
During the pandemic, MICE venues have also enhanced their business offerings through redevelopment projects, increased hybrid solutions and the creation of virtual platforms. To help bridge the gap between in person and online events, Tobacco Dock has created an immersive virtual reality platform, Tobacco Dock Virtual, that will cater to a global audience. Looking ahead, Olympia London is on track to reopen in 2023 following a £1.3 billion redevelopment project to expand the venues cultural spaces and eateries, and to incorporate two new hotels and 550,000 square foot of office space.
Tracy Halliwell, Director of Conventions & Major events at London Convention Bureau said: “London is a city that is constantly reinventing itself and we have been impressed by how London’s venues and hotels have adapted and innovated during a year of huge challenge and uncertainty. The city is a truly dynamic destination for meetings and events and these new hotel openings and venue developments are a vote of confidence in the future of the sector and will provide even greater choice for business events and visitors.
London’s meetings and events industry is vital to the economic health of city and the wider UK, providing strong financial benefit, new business opportunities and job creation. As we look towards the future, we are optimistic that the industry in London will recover and we are committed to making future events in the capital a huge success. We cannot wait to welcome major events, conferences and exhibitions back to London when it is safe to do so.”
London’s new event spaces and hotels set to open in 2021 include:
Charles Oak, Hotel Director of The Londoner, commented: “We hope that The Londoner will stand as a beacon of hope for London’s ever resilient hospitality industry and are proud to be recruiting a world class taskforce made up of the city’s most hardworking and talented individuals. Together, we are looking forward to opening our doors and welcoming guests from all over to their new home from home, in the heart of the capital’s most vibrant neighbourhood.”
London’s event spaces and hotels that have undergone developments in the past year include:
Jonny Read, Commercial Director at Tobacco Dock London said: “Live events and face-to-face experiences are vital for businesses and for London as a thriving business hub. However, by creating a virtual venue we offer the best of both worlds – in person and virtual - where online users can experience being at an event in real time by engaging with presentations, interacting with products, accessing content and networking with other attendees. While we wait to come together at live events in the next couple of months, Tobacco Dock Virtual acts as an alternative venue to help break the barriers between face-to-face and online meeting experiences. The next phase of events will see the physical and virtual running simultaneously and across a wide range of devices, meaning our venue is accessible to a truly global audience. As we’ve seen the business event landscape adapt and prepare to re-open in London, we believe Tobacco Dock Virtual will allow more individuals and businesses to engage in powerful, immersive experiences blurring the edges between the real life and the virtual.”
For more information and inspiration about London’s MICE offering, check out the London Event Planner Guide 2021.