“We are delighted to announce this new flagship in the key market of London. This property will further strengthen the presence and brand awareness of our young and dynamic mid market brand Park Inn in the UK”, commented Kurt Ritter, President & CEO of Rezidor.The Rezidor Hotel Group announces the Park Inn London ExCeL. The brand new property at the ExCeL Exhibition Centre in London will feature 223 rooms and is scheduled to open in Q2 2013.
ExCeL is the largest event centre in London; it is spread over 100 acres and provides almost 100,000 square meters of space. Since the opening in 2000 at a cost of £300 million, it has hosted more than 3,500 events and welcomed five million visitors. ExCeL, owned by the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), has recently completed a £160m extension and became the largest exhibition venue in the UK. In November 2010, ExCeL London was officially voted the World’s Best Meetings & Conference Centre, winning the coveted title at the World Travel Awards’ Grand Final Gala.
The hotel will be located a mere 200 metres west of the main entrance, and, soaring 20 storeys above the skyline, will soon emerge as a local landmark. Facilities will include 223 rooms (the majority offering uninterrupted views of the River Thames), a restaurant and bar, and a fitness room.
The Park Inn ExCeL will have four meeting rooms, with a total conference space of 450 square meters.
Besides ExCeL, the hotel is also strategically located in proximity to London City Airport (which has over 200 daily flights), the commercial centre of Canary Wharf, and the state-of-the-art O2 concert arena. Moreover, the nearby Royal Docks area is currently undergoing a £1.5 billion re-development, which will include new leisure and entertainment venues.
The Park Inn ExCeL will be constructed by Galliford Try. Rezidor’s contractual partner is Jade Investments Worldwide Ltd, which is 50% owned by ExCeL co-founder James Dawes and 50% by Steeltower.
Park Inn, Rezidor’s mid-market brand, is already well established in the UK with a portfolio of 25 hotels and 4,195 rooms. This includes the recently opened Park Inn Aberdeen and the Park Inn Palace, Southend, as well as recently renovated Park Inn hotels in Bedford and Thurrock.
