Morrison Design has completed the multimillion-pound refurbishment and restoration of a former DoubleTree by Hilton hotel now converted to a Curio Collection by Hilton boutique-style hotel.
Located in London and formerly the home of a Victorian aristocrat and lawyer, 100 Queens Gate Hotel is one of several hotels owned by Crimson Hotels, an independently owned hotel company who currently own and manage 10 hotels with over 2000 bedrooms spread across the UK, Portugal and Dubai.
The Curio Collection by Hilton is a soft brand featuring “upper upscale hotels with character” and is one of Hilton’s 15 brands.
Morrison Design was given the design brief to renovate and rebrand the hotel to Curio brand standard.
A key objective throughout was to try and retain as much of the Victorian period mansion as possible, whilst also trying to maximise guest rooms and provide additional revenue generating opportunities befitting of a hotel that would attract high net worth tourists visiting London.
As hotel architect specialists, Morrison Design carried out a major space planning exercise in order to create the ambience required of a Curio brand hotel.
Our architectural design team completed a mapping exercise of all key areas within the Hotel to understand how each had to interconnect. Drawing the connections between back of house, reception, kitchens, guest rooms and dining areas, helped to identify unused areas that could be turned into revenue earning spaces and areas that would benefit from improved architectural design.
This process highlighted the need to re-position the guest entrance to create an airy and welcoming reception. There was also an unused central courtyard that was turned into an atrium and an orangery to create new and exciting internal spaces. The space for 25 new guest rooms was created by improved space planning and converting under-utilised meeting rooms. New lifts were installed to better connect kitchens and back of house with dining and reception areas and provide disabled access.
The impact of this space planning exercise has transformed the function of many areas, improved the overall guest experience, the efficiency of hotel operations and enhanced the speed of customer service.
As Design Team Leaders, it was also our brief to project manage the entire programme of works. This involved coordinating the input of other professional Client Team members including interior designers as well as the structural, mechanical and electrical services engineers.
Morrison Design also programmed the work sequence via a series of complex phases and managed communications with the Hotel Management to ensure the Hotel continued to operate throughout the entire project period with minimal disruption to guests.
Commenting on the project, Nik Clarke, Director at Morrison Design said “I’m very proud of our role in the redevelopment of this Curio Collection by Hilton Hotel. Not only have we managed to maintain the Victorian aesthetics of this fantastic building, but thanks to our hotel sector specialism, our team was also able to create an additional 25 new guest rooms, as well as 11 new suites, all named after famous historic residents of Kensington.”
Adding he said, “The overarching consequence of our role in this project, is that we have helped our client significantly increase the asset value of the property as well as create additional revenue earning streams, both of which will help offset the client’s investment in the project.”
Morrison Design is a well-established architects’ practice of dedicated professionals based in Derby with a strong reputation for working with some of the UK’s most high-profile hotel chains.
If we can help you redesign and redevelop your next hotel project, please feel free to contact us on 01332 363 355 or info@morrisondesign.co.uk