Plans approved for 905-bedroom Hilton hotel in London’s Kensington

Hilton is set to replace its 404-bedroom London Olympia property with a 905-bedroom hotel at the same site.

The proposal for the partial demolition, redevelopment and refurbishment of the existing hotel was approved with some amendments at Kensington and Olympia Council’s planning committee meeting on 19 October.

The new hotel will be housed in an 11-storey building made up of 498 standard bedrooms, 316 ‘flex and bunkie’ rooms and 90 wheelchair accessible rooms.

Councillor James Husband, who chaired the meeting, said: “Although some people may feel that having extra hotel space is not any great benefit to anybody who lives there, it is nevertheless supported in policy, so that is a benefit of the scheme. There is also a potential economic benefit for some of the businesses in the area.”

Councillor Tom Bennett said: “It is an aesthetic improvement because the existing building, particularly half of it, is quite unattractive. The concerns are more around services and disruption during the construction phase.”

Local residents expressed fears the construction could damage sewers and disrupt operations of the nearby nursery, which wishes to remain open during the construction of the hotel.

Councillors agreed that the project developers should seek mandatory engagement with Thames Water and the nursery to ensure safeguarding conditions are met.

The project is being led by architecture firm Studio Moren and joint venture Frogmore and C1 Capital.

Frogmore and C1 Capital bought Hilton Olympia for £130m in April 2022.

Herbert Lui, partner at Studio Moren, said the design was a contemporary take on the mansion blocks that are typical of the borough (pictured).

Plans also include the creation of a publicly accessible roof garden with a bar, seating area and terrace.