Charing Cross hotel re-launches as an Amba property
The four-AA-star, 239-bedroom Charing Cross hotel, London, has today relaunched under the new Amba brand belonging to GLH, the company which was formerly known as Guoman Hotels.
It will be the first of four Amba hotels to launch in London. The second, a rebranding of the Thistle Marble Arch, will open next year, with the Grosvenor in Victoria and Tower Bridge hotels being rebadged in 2016. Further sites for the four-star brand are being sought in gateway cities in Europe, the USA and Asia.
Following a refurbishment of the bedrooms and public spaces of the Amba Charing Cross prior to the rebranding, the hotel now has a strong focus on technology with fast Wi-Fi, smart TVs in every bedroom, USB sockets at the bedside and in-room apps and i-Pads for ordering room service.
Belinda Atkins, chief executive of Amba Hotels, said that research undertaken by the group showed that that "fast, free, unlimited Wi-Fi is as important to our guests as any other facilities provided by the hotel", with 60% saying that it is more important than a good night's sleep.
"Our Wi-Fi has no caveats, no loyalty schemes no limit on up- or downloading. It's is the fastest, free, unlimited Wi-Fi of any meeting and events hotel group," she added.
The general manager at the Amba Charing Cross is Glenn Hallam, and the executive chef is Dean Crew.
Amba is one of four brands owned and operated by GLH, alongside the new five-star Clermont brand, which will be introduced with the delayed re-badging of the Royal Horseguards hotel, Every (limited service) and the existing collection of Thistle hotels.
GLH, headed by chief executive Mike DeNoma, is the London-based global hotel subsidiary of the Singapore-listed GuocoLeisure Group.
glh launches limited-service, four-star brand, Every Hotels >>