London Swallow to become a Marriott
Whitbread is to convert the Swallow International hotel in London into a 216-bedroom Marriott. Planning permission was given last month and building will start in May next year.
The London Marriott Kensington is due to open in spring 2003, and Whitbread is investing £13.3m in the conversion.
The original hotel was housed in two buildings on opposite sides of Cromwell Road. One building has already been converted into a Travel Inn with 90 bedrooms, which opened in September this year. A further 94 bedrooms will open next May.
Of the three remaining Swallow hotels, the 259-bedroom Swallow Royal Scot hotel in Edinburgh is scheduled to become a Marriott next April.
Whitbread has put the 85-bedroom Swallow Churchgate hotel in Old Harlow, Essex, on the market and the 132-bedroom Swallow Nelson hotel in Norwich is "under review".
Whitbread originally bought 38 Swallow hotels for £600m in January 2000.
Source: Caterer & Hotelkeeper magazine, 13 - 19 December 2001