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Rydges Kensington Plaza Hotel, London is to undergo a comprehensive multi-million pound refurbishment programme which will reposition itself as a four star deluxe UK hotel in keeping with the prestigious Kensington location.
The hotel has a history that stretches back to 1789 when Edward Lee of Brompton purchased the tenancy of a small copy hold estate of the manor. He owned 6 acres of land from the east corner of Gloucester Road to Old Brompton Road. Houses were built in the 1820s by William Blake, who was a brick layer. It was he who built the house which is now Rydges Kensington Plaza Hotel. The main rooms for the families were located on the 1st floor where they had afternoon tea and painted in the high ceiling rooms with large windows. The stair cases were invariably of stone decorated with iron balusters. Service rooms were confined to the basement, accessed from the street by stone steps for housekeepers and butlers.
The refurbishment commencing in January 2011 is designed to bring the UK hotel into the 21st Century, equipping it to serve its guests for many years to come. The character of Rydges Kensington Plaza Hotel will be preserved by the retention of its well-known features.
The contract for project management and interior design was awarded to Trevillion Interiors, which has a proven track record for hotel refurbishments and conversions in the UK.
Trevillion Interiors has been involved in the development of the refurbishment plans for the past 18 months, planning the configuration of new accommodation rooms, the development of a new fitness area as well as the new restaurant, bar and conference facilities.
The refurbishment will be completed in September 2011 with 81 fully refurbished, luxuriously decorated bedrooms. Previously the UK hotel had 90 bedrooms, so fewer rooms will produce more spacious accommodation. The older, dated room decor will be replaced and all rooms will have state-of-the art ensuite facilities. The design of the rooms will include new bathroom fittings, wardrobe layouts and updated furniture configuration, as well as both wired and WiFi Internet connection in each room and public areas of the hotel.
The two guest lifts will be refurbished and designed to match the new hotel decor.
A guest gymnasium will be introduced on the lower ground floor of the hotel.
The hotel will also inaugurate a new bar and hotel restaurant to rival any other in London.
The renovated UK hotel will be able to accommodate conferences and events for up to 90 and a variety of eight seater boardrooms all with natural light will also be available.
Programme
The hotel will remain open during the refurbishment programme which will be carried out in stages as detailed below:
- 3rd of January to 14th March 2011 -Refurbishment of all accommodation rooms on the 4th and 3rd floors of the hotel.
- 7th March to 4th April -Refurbishment of Polo Bar, Public Toilets.
- 14th March to 23rd May 2011 -Refurbishment of all accommodation rooms on the 2nd and 1st floors of the hotel.
- 4th April to 2nd of May 2011 -Refurbishment of the hotel reception (temporary reception in the Atrium Lounge)
- 9th May to the 4th July 2011 -Refurbishment of the hotel’s Restaurant, with temporary relocation to the Atrium Lounge.
- 23rd May to the 4th July 2011 -Refurbishment of all accommodation rooms on the ground floor and lower ground floors of the hotel.
- Lower ground floor building works will include a hotel gymnasium and a number of syndicate conference rooms all offering natural light.
- 4th July to 1 September, 2010 – Refurbishment of the Atrium Lounge into a purpose built conference facility with natural light and state of the art audio visual technology.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
