London developer Galliard Homes has made an £110 million agreement with Abu Dhabi based retail, hospitality and property conglomerate Lulu Group International to create a bespoke 92,000 sq ft 5-star hotel within a magnificent refurbished Edwardian building at 1- 5 Great Scotland Yard. The hotel was the location of the original Scotland Yard Police Station and later the British Army recruitment centre for Westminster.
As part of the agreement, Steigenberger Hotel Group has been selected as the hotel operating company creating a bespoke brand to be known as The Great Scotland Yard, which will form part of the portfolio of Signature branded hotels.
Opening Q1 in 2017
The iconic hotel will provide a mix of luxury bedrooms, two bars, restaurants, library, lobby/lounge and private meeting, entertaining and dining rooms complete with 24/7 concierge service. An adjoining Grade 2 Listed Victorian townhouse will be incorporated into the hotel and used to create a magnificent entertaining suite.
The completed hotel will be seven storeys high with two basement levels. It will retain the grand Edwardian Imperial red brick and stone facade with arched main entrance, ornate pediment and tall windows with feature brick and stone detailing. The interior design will be contemporary and stylish, providing a modern compliment to the Edwardian architecture.
The hotel is scheduled to open in Q1 2017 and will provide employment for up to 250 full time staff. Construction on site is now 30% complete with the interior fit out scheduled to start in March 2016.
Puneet Chhatwal, Chief Executive Officer of the Steigenberger Hotel Group said: “This iconic 5-star hotel will mark the entry of the Steigenberger brand into the vibrant and world-renowned London hotel market. Our vision is to create an outstanding 5-star hotel drawing on our reputation for quality and service combined with the outstanding central location, grand architecture and fascinating history of Great Scotland Yard.”
Don 0’Sullivan, Managing Director of Galliard Homes said: “Galliard Homes is delighted to have reached an agreement with Lulu Group International to create a bespoke 5-star hotel in the heart of London’s Whitehall. Steigenberger Hotels & Resorts were chosen as the operator because of their reputation for perfect hospitality, quality and outstanding customer service. The Great Scotland Yard Hotel will be a brand synonymous with exceptional service and refined luxury and quality.”
Fascinating history
The hotel site has a fascinating history. Between 1829 and 1890 Nr1 Great Scotland Yard formed part of the headquarters of the newly founded Metropolitan Police force. It was here that the famous Plaistow Marshes (1864) and Jack the Ripper (1888) crimes were investigated and Scotland Yard was made famous by novelists including Charles Dickens and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
In 1910 the current Edwardian building was constructed on the site and served as the British Army Recruitment Office and Royal Military Police headquarters. It is here that Lord Kitchener famously told WWI recruits “Your Country Needs You”. In 1982 a refurbishment introduced a new atrium and the building later became the Ministry of Defence Library until 2004.
Galliard Homes
Founded in 1992, led by Chief Executive Stephen Conway and with over 700 staff, Galliard Homes is a property development, hospitality and management group overseeing mixed-use, residential, hotel and commercial projects across London and southern England. The company has a £3.5 billion portfolio of over 8,000 homes, hotels, retail premises and commercial properties. In addition to 3-5 Great Scotland Yard, Galliard Homes has undertaken a series of prestigious hotel projects in London in Canary Wharf, Greenwich and Deptford providing a total of 750 bedrooms. Recent outstanding examples of Galliard hotel projects include the re-development of the 68 room/suite St James’s Club & Hotel, now one of Mayfair’s finest boutique hotels and the creation of the new 398 bed Park Plaza Hotel at County Hall.
Lulu Group International
Founded in 1973 with headquarters in Abu Dhabi, Lulu Group International is a multi-national conglomerate which employs over 30,000 people and operates in the retail, shopping mall, property development, hospitality, foods and manufacturing sectors. Led by Managing Director Yusuffali Musaliam Veettil Abdul Kader, the multi-billion Lulu Group International is ranked as one of the world’s top-10 fastest growing retail and hospitality groups with operations across four continents. The group has operations across the Middle East, Far East, Africa and Europe in countries including the United Arab Emirates, India, Qatar, Bahrain, UK, Germany, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietman, Hong Kong/China, Nigeria and Kenya.
Steigenberger Hotel Group
Founded in 1930 by Albert Steigenberger the Steigenberger Hotel Group is now a multi national privately owned hotel and resort business operating in 11countries with a portfolio of 92 hotels, 3 cruises and 18 hotels in various stages of pipeline development. The group has four distinctive brands; signature, hotels & resorts, Jaz and Intercity.