Asian hotelier Swire Hotels, a subsidiary of Swire Group, itself a major-shareholder in Cathay Pacific, has released full details of the Montpellier Chapter, the first hotel to open under its UK-centric brand.
The 61-room hotel will open on November 29 in Cheltenham, and is set to be the first in a portfolio of properties to be situated in “key regional cities in Britain” each occupying existing period buildings.
As previously reported on Business Traveller (see online news October 19), the hotel occupies the former Kandinsky Hotel on Bayshill Road, a Grade II listed building. Swire said the hotel would retain its “Regency and Edwardian splendour whilst undergoing a complete transformation.”
Architectural firm Make was brought in to oversee the renovation, which includes a new crescent-shaped wing and a striking inner courtyard. The hotel will also boast a 160-piece art collection, put together by Central St Martin's College of Art and Design and consisting of works by contemporary artists as well as students.
Interiors in the main building will have both contemporary and classic features in “muted tones and flashes of colours”, while open-floor rooms in the crescent wing will “appear to be hewn from stone”.
Each room will have a free mini bar, complimentary wifi and 3G iPod Touches. iPads will also feature prominently, with guests able to check in using the Apple devices. Wine lists in the 74-capacity restaurant, offering seasonal menus based on classic British dishes, will also be displayed on iPads.
Swire Hotels currently has two properties in Hong Kong (Upper House and East) and a further hotel in Beijing (The Opposite House). A second Chapter Hotel will open in Exeter in 2012, the group said.
For more information visit chapterhotels.com, swirehotels.co.uk.
Report by Andrew Gough
