Whitehall’s impressive Old War Office building, in which Winston Churchill made many of the most important decisions of World War 2, is set to be turned into a luxury hotel called OWO (geddit?) which will open in 2022.
The huge building, which was used by the British Government until 1964, was originally sold in 2014 for £350 million, with a view to turn it into one of London’s finest hotels, run by the Raffles Group. However, further details have now been revealed about one of the most exciting hotel openings in the foreseeable future.
As well as the name of the hotel, Raffles have announced that, in addition to the hotel’s 125 rooms, they will also be partnering with the Hinduja Group to operate 85 luxury residences at the Grade II-listed site. This marks an extension to an already existing partnership between Raffles and the Hinduja Group.
Co-chairman of the Hinduja Group, Gopichand P Hinduj said: “We are delighted to announce Raffles as operators of the branded residences; the first of their kind in Europe. The level of servicing Raffles will offer to future residence owners is unparalleled and will set a new benchmark in London.”
The seven-floor OWO, based at the Trafalgar Square end of Whitehall, is set to feature nine restaurants and bars, boutique retailers, and a spa. This follows the recent trend of turning iconic London buildings into luxury hotels, with the Old Scotland Yard building recently being reopened as the Great Scotland Yard hotel, where suites can run up to £10,000 per night.
Elsewhere there’s plenty of change happening behind the scenes in many of London’s top hotels, with the owners of The Westbury Hotel reported to be selling up, once the sale of the nearby Ritz has been completed.
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