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As part of our series of new venues opening for conferences, meetings and events, this week we’re looking at new hotels opening in England. There are also a few in here that opened at the end of 2020 and then had to close almost immediately, so we’ve classing them as new too.
Probably one of the most important hotel openings this year, outside London. The Grand is 5-minutes walk from Birmingham News Street Station, this hotel has had a complete refurbishment. It has 185 bedrooms and suites.
The hotel has nine meeting rooms, including an ornate Louis XIV-style Grand Ballroom with capacity for 250 people in theatre-style, with 1m distancing. The eight smaller rooms vary in size from 56 people to seven in a boardroom or for private dining.
This Hertfordshire hotel is also partly a members’ club, co-working space and is due to open a heated lido in time for summer. Set in 55 acres there is a farm, an interactive bakery, two restaurants, 20 versatile event spaces and 140 bedrooms.
There are 11 meeting rooms and the largest has capacity for 140 people in theatre style. In addition activities for groups can include: throwing clay in the Pottery Studio; playing an instrument in the Music Room; painting in the Art Studio; lessons on sourdough, pastries, and cooking in the Bakery; private spin, yoga, and meditation sessions in the Wellness Space Garden; learning how to grow and compost, or foraging with the farmer and shuffleboard and table tennis.
This hotel is an old coaching inn on Castle Ashby Estate in Northamptonshire. There are 22 bedrooms in the hotel and adjacent cottages. The Private Dining Room, Eyas Restaurant, Stables, East Wing and Cellar Bar can all be used for meetings and events. There is an outside terrace, which can also be hired privately. Guided nature walks, group yoga and wild swimming are on offer too.
The Double Red Duke is due to open in April. It is a Cotswold stone coaching inn in the village of Clanfield. The hotel will have 19 bedrooms and a menu centred around an open-fire kitchen. There will be meeting and private dining rooms, but the capacity is to be confirmed.
Developed from the ruins of Bodmin Jail (pictured above) this is now a luxury hotel and should be open in May 2021. The cells are now 70 bedrooms, incorporating the stone walls with a contemporary style. There are three meeting spaces for up to 14 people.
Graduate Hotels is an American group which operates boutique hotels near universities. The group is opening their first two hotels in the UK with locations in Oxford and Cambridge.
The Randolph by Graduate is due to open in the middle of August, with 151 bedrooms. It is located right in the city centre on the site of the former Randolph Hotel. There are four meeting spaces, the Ballroom for large events and three smaller meeting rooms.
Formerly the Cambridge City Hotel, this hotel is a waterfront property on the edge of the River Cam. It is due to open at the beginning of July. The hotel has 138 bedrooms and 8 meeting rooms.
This is the second hotel from Harbour Hotels in Salcombe. The Harbour Beach Club Hotel & Spa is currently taking bookings from August 2021. There are 50 bedrooms and one meeting space for up to 120 people. The hotel is on the beach with an outdoor terrace, restaurant, spa and indoor pool.
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