Rosewood to operate hotel at American Embassy

A second Rosewood property will open in London after the luxury brand was announced as the operator of the 137-bedroom hotel to be developed at the American Embassy.

 

The £1b transformation of the Grade II-listed building will take place following the departure later this year of the American diplomatic team to a new embassy nearing completion in Nine Elms, Battersea.

 

Owned by property group Qatari Diar, which is controlled by the Qatari Investment Authority sovereign wealth fund, the new hotel will feature five restaurants, a ballroom for up to 1,000 guests, a spa and six retail spaces.

 

British architect Sir David Chipperfield is overseeing the design of the hotel, which will transform the the interior of the mid-20th century building and preserved the original, Grade II listed façade.

 

Rosewood Hotels & Resorts was selected by Qatar Diar above other leading global hotel brands after “an exhaustive process” to realise its commitment “to deliver a world-class hotel”.

 

Sheikh Jassim Al-Thani, chief development officer, Qatari Diar Europe & Americas, said he was delighted to welcome Rosewood Hotels & Resorts on-board. “This is a major opportunity for London and a hotel of this exceptional calibre perfectly aligns with our vision and ambition to renew the heart of Mayfair and cement the neighbourhood’s unique character as the leading hospitality, arts and luxury retail quarter for residents and visitors to enjoy.”

 

Sonia Cheng, chief executive, Rosewood Hotel Group, added that the re-development of the US Embassy “truly embodies Rosewood’s sense of place philosophy.”

 

The development of the new Rosewood hotel will include wider improvements to Grosvenor Square, including the removal of existing security bollards and barricades.

 

Founded in the US in 1979, Rosewood Hotels & Resorts brand was acquired in 2011 by Hong-Kong based company Rosewood Hotel Group (formerly New World Hospitality), headed by the Cheng family. Today it has 20 hotels open and a further 15 under development.

 

A third Rosewood hotel could open in the UK if an appeal against the decision by planners to turn down a planning application from Urbanist Hotels and Duddingston House Properties to develop the former Royal High School in Edinburgh into a 127-bedroom hotel is reversed.

 

Rosewood Hotels & Resorts has just reopened the Hôtel de Crillon in Paris, following an extensive renovation.

 

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