17-24 June: Top 10 Stories of the Week

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From hotel openings to product spotlights to everything in between, we collate the top 10 most read stories on Hotel Designs this week…

1. GUEST BLOG: XOTELS’ PATRICK LANDMAN – STARTING YOUR OWN HOTEL
For many people starting their own hotel or bed and breakfast is like a dream. Most are drawn by the charm of hospitality and see it as a chance to start fresh. However opening a hotel, just like any new business, is more difficult than it might seem at first sight.

2. BREXIT OPINION: BHA RESPONDS TO QUEEN’S SPEECH
In a pared-back Queen’s Speech on 21 June, Theresa May’s Government set out its legislative agenda for the next two years.

3. PROJECT PREVIEW: AREEN DESIGN – TWIN WIN IN NAIROBI
Areen Design’s award-winning hospitality division has been working on two new hotels in Nairobi, both under Marriott’s Four Points by Sheraton brand.

4. APEX EXPANSION CONTINUES AS NEW £35M BATH HOTEL PREPARES FOR LAUNCH
A new £35 million venture for Apex Hotels Limited is set to boost the company’s portfolio this summer as the doors open on its newest hotel, in the city of Bath.

5. CROWNE PLAZA LEEDS COMPLETES £4.5 MILLION REFURBISHMENT

The 135-bedroom Crowne Plaza Leeds hotel has completed a £4.5m refurbishment, 18 months after it was forced to close for eight weeks following the Boxing Day flood of 2015.

6. SIX SENSES IBIZA OPENING 2020
Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas has announced the latest addition to their portfolio, Six Senses Ibiza.

7. HISTORIC MANCHESTER FIRE STATION TO BE REIMAGINED AS BOUTIQUE HOTEL
Manchester’s historic London Road Fire Station has sat largely vacant in recent years, but after a collaboration between an award-winning property development firm and an architectural firm, that might be changing soon.

8. NH COLLECTION GRAND SABLON OPENS IN BRUSSELS
NH Hotel Group has celebrated the opening of another hotel under its NH Collection brand, the NH Collection Grand Sablon in Brussels.

9. SKAMANIA LODGE TO DEBUT TWO NEW TREE HOUSES THIS AUTUMN
Skamania Lodge, the Columbia River Gorge’s awarding-winning destination, recently broke ground on two new tree houses, set to open in September of 2017.

10. LUXURY COLLECTION TO ADD ITALIAN CRISTALLO RESORT & SPA
The Luxury Collection Hotels & Resorts has announced that Cristallo, a historic hotel located in the renowned Italian town of Cortina d’Ampezzo, will join The Luxury Collection this June.

Daniel Fountain / 23.06.2017

Editor, Hotel Designs

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Fun fact: I’m usually the person friends rely on to organise trips, schedules, and group plans.

Workhighlights: Successfully coordinating events from planning through to delivery and seeing everything come together on the day.

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Fun fact: People tell Sienna she gives off Bridget Jones vibes, and she loves to bake, always making sure there are shortbreads floating around the office

Work highlights: Sienna joined Forum Events & Media Group while studying Communications and Media, starting in the sales team where she managed and helped launch the first the PA Life Leading Venues of London SHOWCASE, where she built relationships with luxury venues across the capital. Drawn to the stories behind these spaces, she naturally transitioned into the editorial team, creating social media and editorial content. Upon graduating in June 2026, she is excited to be joining as Assistant Editor for Hotel Designs and SPACE.

Fun fact: When not working, Jess can usually be found tending to her kitchen garden in the Sussex countryside or foraging for herbs in the nearby woods. A keen grower, she recently studied a RHS Level 2 Diploma in the Principles of Horticulture during her spare time.

Work highlights: Jess joined SPACE magazine in 2022 and has since progressed from Assistant Editor to Editor. During this time, she has worked across many aspects of the publication – from shaping editorial strategy and overseeing operations to contributing to art direction and representing the brand on stage at industry events including Surface Design Show and WOW!house.

Alongside her role at SPACE, Jess has built a creative career spanning the arts, culture, design and travel sectors. Prior to joining the magazine, she spent more than a decade in the commercial art industry, in artist liaison, gallery management, and curating collections for the hospitality sector across hotels and cruise ships. During this time, she also worked on freelance projects as a writer, photographer, and creative content producer.
 
Jess studied photojournalism at London College of Communication and the Danish School of Media and Journalism and holds a first-class BA (Hons) in Culture, Criticism and Curation from Central Saint Martins.

Fun fact: Katy has spent years perfecting all kinds of accents and loves a good impersonation!

Work highlights: Katy has been with Hotel Designs since the beginning, way back in 2015 when Forum Events & Media Group acquired the brand.

During this time, she has fostered many meaningful relationships with clients from across the hospitality spectrum, as well as playing a pivotal role in the launch of The Brit List Awards, Hotel Designs MEET UPs, client-led roundtables and panel talks, brand and website redesigns, HD Wellness Sets, DESIGN POD podcast, Hotel Designs LIVE panel talk series, Accessible Design Talks and more. Katy is always on the lookout for the next opportunity to help grow the Hotel Designs brand even further.
 
Most recently Katy has stepped in to the role of Publisher atSPACE magazine, the printed bi-monthly publication focused on hotel design, architecture, and development.
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