The Athenaeum joins Pride of Britain Hotels

The Athenaeum hotel on London's Piccadilly has joined Pride of Britain Hotels, effectively replacing the Arch London.

The independent luxury hotel consortium has a self-imposed limit of 50 member hotels "to guarantee quality and exclusivity", which it hit last month with the addition of the Royal Crescent Bath.

However, the Arch has left the consortium following its acquisition by StayWell Holdings last year. The group plans to relaunch it under its Prince Akatori brand this summer, so it will no longer be an independent.

The five-red-AA-starred, 135-bedroom Athenaeum recently welcomed Joanne Taylor-Stagg as general manager. She said: "We are thrilled to have been accepted into such a respected hotel collection as Pride of Britain Hotels."

Peter Hancock, chief executive of Pride of Britain Hotels, said: "It gives us great pleasure to welcome the Athenaeum Hotel and Residences, one of London's finest hotels, into the Pride of Britain family, alongside such iconic gems as the Goring, Calcot and Glenapp Castle."

Last year, the Athenaeum completed a major renovation led by interior designer Martin Hulbert and now incorporates the View, an executive lounge for residents on the top floor which was previously occupied by the penthouse suite. The hotel also features the Galvin at the Athenaeum restaurant from brothers Chris and Jeff Galvin.

The hotel was bought by family-owned Ralph Trustees in 1992, which also owns and operates the Grove hotel in Hertfordshire and the Runnymede hotel & spa in Windsor. Ralph Trustees, which is today headed by Daniel and Stuart Levy, continues to operate the Athenaeum under a long-term management agreement after selling its leasehold interest to the freeholder, Sir Richard Sutton Estates, in 2016.

Pride of Britain hits 50 members with the addition of the Royal Crescent Bath >>

The Arch London acquired by Japanese group StayWell Holdings >>