by Rhiannon Bury, The Daily Telegraph, May 13, 2016
Oscar-winning actor Robert De Niro is to open a boutique hotel in London’s Covent Garden, following on from the success of celebrity favourite The Greenwich in New York.
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Mr De Niro, working with Capital & Counties Properties (Capco) and BD Hotels, has submitted a planning application for the proposed 83-room hotel, which will be called The Wellington Hotel.
The plans would see Mr De Niro, Ira Drukier and Richard Born - the team behind The Greenwich Hotel in New York’s Tribeca district - open their first hotel outside of the US.
The Greenwich Hotel, which opened in 2008, is popular among celebrities for its hipster aesthetic and luxury facilities. Mr De Niro also owns the Nobu Hotel Manila in the Philippines.
The new London scheme will include spa facilities, two restaurants, a deli/café and a members’ club, built around a central courtyard conservatory. The hotel would span a whole block of six adjacent buildings in the historic area of the capital.
Mr De Niro said London was “one of the most exciting and cosmopolitan cities in the world”.
“The Wellington Hotel would honour the heritage of the area, while bringing the best of what we’ve done in New York to London,” he added.
If the plans are approved by Westminster City Council, work would begin on the development in 2017, with construction being completed in 2019.
Capco has owned Covent Garden for 10 years, and has brought a number of new leisure retailers to the area in recent years, including up-market restaurant Sushisamba, which is due to open later this year.
Sarah-Jane Curtis, director of Capco’s Covent Garden holdings, said the hotel would be the first landmark hotel for the estate.
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This article was written by Rhiannon Bury from The Daily Telegraph and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.
