Luxury London Hotels: The Latest

Before the 2012 Summer Olympics, London saw a dramatic burst in luxury hotel development, with new properties opening regularly in the years and months before the games. Impressively, the city’s hotel pipeline has quite a few notable properties coming up for this year (and beyond), and the city’s numbers remain strong. In its UK Hotels Forecast for 2014, PricewaterhouseCoopers predicts record revenue per available room for London’s hotels this year, with occupancy to grow to 82 percent.

With that in mind, here’s a look at three upcoming luxury hotels in London that are due to open in 2014.

The Shangri-La Hotel At The Shard

First off, the biggest...or, more accurately, the tallest: The Shangri-La Hotel At The Shard, London will open May 6 right by the South Bank of the River Thames. When it opens, the hotel will be the tallest in Western Europe and the first high-rise hotel in London: The Shangri-La takes up levels 34 to 52 of the 72-story, 1,004-foot-high Shard. This is the place to go for top views of the city: The hotel has floor-to-ceiling windows all the way around, including double-length windows in the lobby.

When they arrive, guests will enter the building in a dedicated entrance on St. Thomas Street before heading up in a high-speed elevator to the sky lobby on level 35. The hotel’s 202 guest rooms and suites will take up levels 36 to 50 and are some of the largest in London (323 to 2,024 square feet). Cool touch: Because of The Shard’s spiral shape, each of the rooms and suites has a unique layout and design, and guests can take their pick of city and landmark views.

In September, the hotel will open its three signature suites, which will all look out over St. Paul’s Cathedral, Tower Bridge and down river toward the O2 Arena. The Shangri-La Suite, meanwhile, will be on level 39 with 180-degree views of some top landmarks.

Speaking of landmarks, the hotel will be within walking distance of some of London’s best: London Bridge is right downstairs, and the Tower of London itself is just across the Thames. Theater fans can walk to Shakespeare’s Globe for new productions of classic dramas, and the Menier Chocolate Factory (a theater company that produced many shows that transferred to the West End and Broadway) is only a few minutes away. London Bridge Station is nearby for easy access to the city’s Underground train network.

Director of Sales Jesus Lopez ([email protected], 011-44-207-089-5520) is the travel agent liaison for the hotel. Room rates are expected to start at approximately $733 per room per night.

Mondrian London

Another major upcoming opening this year is the Mondrian London, which will take over the Sea Containers building on the South Bank of the Thames. Much as the Shangri-La will be the first of its brand in the UK, this hotel will be the first Mondrian property in Europe. Director of Sales and Marketing Simon Gilkes ([email protected]), the hotel’s agent liaison, told Travel Agent’s sister publication Luxury Travel Advisor that the hotel will “open up the area,” which he noted is a popular destination for people interested in London’s arts scene. “It has more of an East London feel, so it’s a little bit cooler,” he said.

Mondrian London will have 359 guest rooms and suites, many with outdoor space and river views. Other perks will include rooftop lounge and terrace; a signature agua Spa with six treatment suites, relaxation space and a manicure and pedicure room; and a screening room.

The hotel will be within walking distance of the Tate Modern, Festival Hall, Borough Market, the National and Globe Theatres, the London Eye, London Aquarium and the London Dungeon.

The Beaumont

For a boutique option, there’s the Beaumont in Mayfair, due to open in Autumn (no opening date had been announced yet as of press time). The hotel will be housed in an Art Deco building overlooking Brown Hart Gardens close to Hyde Park.

The team behind the hotel (Jeremy King and Chris Corbin) is also behind some of the top eateries in town, including The Wolseley, and the hotel will have one of their restaurants as a centerpiece. It will also have 73 guest rooms, including a Presidential Suite with up to five bedrooms and a private terrace, and a suite in the form of a sculpture by Antony Gormley. Other perks will include an American-style bar, a Turkish hammam and spa rooms for treatments.

Paul Brackley will be the hotel’s general manager, and the pre-opening office can take questions at 011-44-20-7647-1810.