Rockliffe, formerly Rockliffe Hall, reopens in County Durham following a multi-million-pound refurbishment: 43 rooms and suites, six dining concepts by James and Maria Close including ATLAS, a 4,650 m² spa and a championship golf course.
One Spa at the Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa Edinburgh has completed a five-month, £700,000 renovation: a Reformer Pilates studio with six Technogym machines, a Rasul Mud Bothy, a poolside sauna, a cold room and a refurbished gym.
In Bath, The Parade opens in September 2026 across three Grade I listed Georgian townhouses, completed in 1748 to designs by John Wood the Elder: 49 rooms, a Courtyard Spa in the enclosed garden, the 1748 bar and a restaurant coming by the end of the year. Providence Hotels is targeting the polished mid-range market, with rates starting from £150 a night.
Architectural practice Orms submitted the conversion project of the BT Tower into a hotel for American group MCR to Camden on 10 September 2026, featuring a pool built on the podium roof.
According to Savills, £2.1bn worth of hotels changed hands in the UK in the first half of 2026, up £500m on the previous year and accounting for 24% of European transaction volumes. London concentrated £1.4bn, almost exclusively in standalone assets, while Marlow, Reading, Oxford and Edinburgh drove regional activity.
Merlin Entertainments is investing 50 million pounds in Minecraft World, the park's first zone entirely dedicated to the game, opening in 2027 in Chessington, 35 minutes from London. No themed rooms have been announced at this stage, but the resort already operates two hotels and a glamping site, several categories of which are licensed.
Opened on 1st March 2026 in the former Whiteleys department store, Six Senses London has been awarded its first Michelin Key, six months after its opening. In total, 51 hotels from IHG's luxury and lifestyle portfolio are recognised in 2026, ten of which received two Keys.
Reopened in March 2026 following two years of works and over £500,000 invested, The Tall Trees Hotel, a five-bedroom boutique hotel near Amlwch on the Isle of Anglesey, has been put on the market for £950,000 by estate agents Sidney Phillips. The owner cites other business commitments.
Maximalist Scottish brand House of Gods is opening its first London hotel in Canary Wharf in late September 2026, featuring 79 rooms and suites and the 300-cover Sacred Garden rooftop, as part of a 6,000 m² leisure development backed by Imbiba. Meanwhile, Justine Conway has been promoted to group CEO.
Hyatt signs a franchise agreement with CL Capital for the Oxford Witney Hotel in Witney, Oxfordshire. Thoroughly renovated and operated by InnPractice, the 130-room hotel will join the JdV by Hyatt lifestyle collection by late 2026, a UK first, featuring a design inspired by Witney wool and the Arts and Crafts movement.
Hilton has signed the London Bridge Hotel under its Tapestry Collection brand, in a franchise agreement with Gama Holdings, the owner for over thirty years. The 153-room hotel, adjacent to London Bridge station, will reopen in early 2028 following a transformation of more than £12 million, featuring a ground floor entrusted to Individual Restaurants and rooms fitted within the historic vaults.
Starboard Hotels and LaSalle Investment Management have acquired seven Novotel and ibis branded hotels from Ares and EQ Group in Birmingham, Sheffield, Southampton, Luton and London. Starboard's UK portfolio now rises to 28 hotels and over 3,000 rooms.
