Guest Hotels to expand and launch “Concierge Club”

The founders of Guest Invest, the first UK company to allow investors to buy their own hotel rooms in central London, are opening three new Guest Hotels properties. The Jones will open in Bayswater in early September this year, followed shortly by Nest (located just around the corner). The third hotel, The Chiswell, is due to open next year. With the opening of The Jones, the group will also be launching the "Concierge Club", enabling members to attend contemporary arts events within its hotels, as well as gain exclusive access to private views, gigs and shows across London. Johnny Sandelson, chairman of Guest Hotels and founder of Guest Invest, said: “Until now, hotels have used art as decoration. We are reversing that concept by using our hotels as their showcase.” The Jones, a restored Edwardian baroque property, has the famous theatre at the back of the hotel, once frequented by Edward VII and his actress mistress Lillie Langtry. With the Concierge Club, members will have the chance to experience “canapé-style cultural grazing”, with three theatrical performances an hour, to give them “a cultural injection with time to spare”. The Jones will have 176 rooms and a French restaurant run by Olivier Peyton. The second Bayswater property, the 157-room Nest, is housed in a row of converted Victorian stucco-fronted buildings and will feature continually changing photography exhibitions. In keeping with the Concierge Club’s “experiential culture”, The Chiswell, a 200-room hotel in the City, will host a fast-changing programme of dance, theatre and opera, and is set to open in 2009. The three hotels join Guesthouse West, the first Guest Invest property to open, and Blakes, which became part of the collection in 2007. The Concierge Club, which will be open to both guests and non-residents, aims to become one of London’s leading arts clubs and will give people the chance to experience everything from live electro-pop in-house, to back-stage access to celebrity events such as London Fashion Week. The first 1,000 members will get a one-year promotional membership for £180, and a free one-night stay at The Jones or Nest, while a regular annual membership is £240. For more information visit guesthotels.com. Report by Jenny Southan