Second Hilton Hotels & Resorts for Leeds to open at First Direct Arena
Hilton Worldwide are developing the Hilton Leeds Area hotel under the Hilton Hotels & Resorts brand in conjunction with GB Group. Redefine/BDL Hotels will manage the hotel under a £30m franchise agreement.
The GB Group previously worked with Hilton Worldwide on developing the Hilton Garden Inn Luton North, in Luton, Bedfordshire.
Located 300m from the First Direct Arena and within walking distance of Leeds Station, the new hotel will include a destination restaurant, business centre, gym and a rooftop bar on the 14th floor.
Rob Palleschi, global head of Hilton Hotels & Resorts, said the company is delighted to be opening another hotel in Leeds. "Our brand has strong ties with the entertainment industry, so we're particularly excited to be locating so close to one of the UK's most sought-after new venues. With Hilton Leeds City also undergoing a £4m refurbishment, this signing underlines our ongoing commitment to the Leeds market."
Martin Smout, chairman and CEO of GB Group, added: "This is a key development for us, and marks an important milestone in our evolution from a developer contractor into a property owner investor. We are thrilled to have secured the go-ahead and funding to deliver this ambitious scheme at the heart of one of the UK's most exciting cities, and look forward to working closely with our partners to build what will become the premier destination for business and leisure in Leeds."
Hilton Leeds Arena will be the first Hilton Hotels & Resorts-branded hotel to be managed by Redefine|BDL Hotels, which currently has 58 properties under management contracts and long-term leases. The company already manages the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel in Dundee and will operate the soon-to-open DoubleTree by Hilton in Edinburgh.
Hilton Worldwide operates more than 110 hotels in the UK across five brands and has opened four hotels in 2013 in Bristol, Exeter, Dundee and Birmingham. It opened its first hotel in Leeds in 1971 with the launch of Hilton Leeds City. Hilton Leeds Arena will become the company's third hotel in the city, following the addition of DoubleTree by Hilton Leeds City Centre in 2011.
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