Doubletree unveils first London property
Published: 19/11/2008 - Filed under: News »
Hilton has officially rebranded the former Courthouse Kempinski as a Doubletree property, and has announced the Hoole Hall Country Club and Hotel in Chester will join the Doubletree fold.
The Courthouse Doubletree by Hilton London-Regent Street becomes the brand’s 200th property worldwide, and significantly its first in the capital. Located on Great Marlborough Street close to Regent Street, the hotel is housed within a Grade II listed former magsitrates court, and features 112 rooms, a swimming pool, spa, private cinema, Silk restaurant, and several original features including prison cells which have been transformed into bar booths.
The hotel is one of two properties owned by the Surejogi Group – the other being The Bentley in South Kensington – which were until recently branded under the Kempinski umbrella (see online news March 12). Both hotels will continue to be managed by a subsidiary of Mastcraft Ltd, under a franchise agreement with Hilton, with The Bentley due to be rebranded as Hilton’s first Waldorf Astoria property in London next year.
Asked why the two hotels would become different brands, despite both having been within the luxury Kempinski portfolio, Dave Horton, senior vice president of Doubletree Hotels said that the 64-room Bentley was “like a miniature Waldorf Astoria in terms of opulence and luxury”, and had “a completely different feel to The Courthouse, which is boutique and contemporary in style”.
Girish Sanger of Mastcraft Ltd said that the owners were happy to have now “properly positioned” the two hotels, and to have brought two new brands to the London market.
As part of the rebranding process, The Courthouse will see Doubletree’s Sweet Dreams beds installed in guestrooms, and the hotel also plans to open a rooftop terrace in time for next summer.
In other news Hilton has announced its fifth Doubletree property in the UK, with the Hoole Hall Country Club and Hotel in Chester due to rebrand in early 2009. The hotel has 110 rooms, meeting space, a ballroom, restaurant and bar, and is expected to add a spa to its existing health club and swimming pool.
Hilton also said that it is “looking at Doubletrees in Moscow, and hope to be able to make announcements soon”.
For more information visit hilton.com, doubletree.com.
Report by Mark Caswell
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