New Park Hyatt London: What’s The Latest?

New Park Hyatt London: What’s The Latest?

19

World of Hyatt is my favorite hotel loyalty program (thanks largely to the value of Globalist status), and Park Hyatt is my favorite Hyatt brand. I’m always thrilled when the portfolio expands, and new Park Hyatts are added in exciting destinations, whether we’re talking about city hotels or resorts.

London is one of the biggest hotel markets in the world, yet Park Hyatt doesn’t have a property there. In 2020 it was revealed that Park Hyatt planned to open two properties in London, which was an exciting development. I wanted to take an updated look at this, as one property is still on track to be a Park Hyatt (though delayed), while the other property will no longer be a Park Hyatt.

Park Hyatt London River Thames: opening 2024(ish)

The 203-room Park Hyatt London River Thames is the property that is still expected to open as a Hyatt. The Park Hyatt will be in the One Nine Elms development, which is a mixed-use skyscraper project currently under construction in London. Admittedly this isn’t the most central location for most peoples’ needs when visiting London, but then again, real estate is limited in the city…

The development will feature a 42 story River Tower with 109 residential apartments and the Park Hyatt, and then a 57 story City Tower with 334 residential apartments. The Park Hyatt London River Thames will take up the first 18 floors of the smaller tower.

The Park Hyatt will feature retail stores and two restaurants on the ground floor, a spa and pool on the first floor, conference and meeting facilities on the second floor, a terrace on the fourth floor, and a clubhouse on the 17th floor.

The project is expected to be completed in November 2023, so realistically speaking I’d expect that it will be 2024 before the Park Hyatt opens (and that’s at the earliest).

The One Nine Elms development (on the right)
Park Hyatt London River Thames lobby

Park Hyatt London 5 Strand: not happening anymore

Initially there were plans for Park Hyatt to open a property at 5 Strand, near Trafalgar Square. While this hotel was never formally announced by Hyatt, documents filed with Westminster City Council at the time confirmed these plans.

The intent was that the hotel would be 11 stories and have around 200 rooms, plus two restaurants and a bar. Even if that were to happen, we knew it was going to be a long time, since a building needed to be demolished before construction could even start.

Well, there’s a recent update about this plan. The property has just been purchased for £200 million, and will now be turned into a more budget friendly hotel — a Premier Inn. The planned opening date for this property in 2027, so this hotel is nowhere close to opening.

Bottom line

London is still expected to get one Park Hyatt, but not two Park Hyatts. Construction is progressing nicely on the Park Hyatt London River Thames, in the One Nine Elms development. The property is expected to be completed in late 2023, so realistically I expect it will be 2024 at the earliest before the hotel opens.

Meanwhile 5 Strand will no longer be getting a Park Hyatt, as the property has been sold, and will now become a Premier Inn.

What do you make of these Park Hyatt London developments?

Conversations (19)
The comments on this page have not been provided, reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any advertiser, and it is not an advertiser's responsibility to ensure posts and/or questions are answered.
Type your response here.

If you'd like to participate in the discussion, please adhere to our commenting guidelines. Anyone can comment, and your email address will not be published. Register to save your unique username and earn special OMAAT reputation perks!

  1. John Guest

    I totally disagree with the comments that this hotel is in a challenging location. When I looked it up I said, literally out loud, finally a luxury property on South Bank.

    I visit London probably 10 times a year on average and almost always stay on South Bank. I sacrifice true luxury in favor or Bankside (by Marriott), former Morgan’s property at Sea Container or Hoxton (their large room type is actually quite nice...

    I totally disagree with the comments that this hotel is in a challenging location. When I looked it up I said, literally out loud, finally a luxury property on South Bank.

    I visit London probably 10 times a year on average and almost always stay on South Bank. I sacrifice true luxury in favor or Bankside (by Marriott), former Morgan’s property at Sea Container or Hoxton (their large room type is actually quite nice and service levels are solid). I’d rather be at Savoy of the Four Seasons equivalent in any other city but I vastly prefer “coming home” to South Bank at night.

    Also, to the person that commented on location versus the nearest tube stop. Really? Do you think that most international luxury travelers care about proximity to public transit? That’s what car services - including from the Park Hyatt - are for. That’s laughable. I literally could care less where the closest public transportation hub is in picking a luxury hotel.

  2. ari Guest

    Looks like I'll be staying in the Churchill for as long as I am loyal to Hyatt.

  3. T- Guest

    I think that the Park Hyatt is looking toward the future of the area & it's potential which is a smart move.

  4. Raffles Guest

    I really struggle to see this hotel lasting 12 months as a PH. Geographically London luxury hotels sit inside a small area and this is nowhere near.

    1. K4 Guest

      Absolute disagree that London luxury hotels 'sit inside a small area'.

      In Kensington, there's Blakes and Baglioni.

      In Knightsbridge you have The Mandarin Oriental, Park Tower, and Bulgari.

      In Belgravia, The Berkeley, The Wellesley, and The Lanesborough.

      On Park Lane, you have The Dorchester, 45 Park Lane, Four Seasons, Grosvenor House.

      On Piccadilly, the Ritz.

      In true Mayfair, Connaught, Claridges, Biltmore.

      In Marylebone, Churchill, Nobu, Chiltern Firehouse, Prince Akatoki, and The Langham.

      Fitzrovia, Mandrake,...

      Absolute disagree that London luxury hotels 'sit inside a small area'.

      In Kensington, there's Blakes and Baglioni.

      In Knightsbridge you have The Mandarin Oriental, Park Tower, and Bulgari.

      In Belgravia, The Berkeley, The Wellesley, and The Lanesborough.

      On Park Lane, you have The Dorchester, 45 Park Lane, Four Seasons, Grosvenor House.

      On Piccadilly, the Ritz.

      In true Mayfair, Connaught, Claridges, Biltmore.

      In Marylebone, Churchill, Nobu, Chiltern Firehouse, Prince Akatoki, and The Langham.

      Fitzrovia, Mandrake, Edition and Sanderson (far enough from Kensington yet?)

      Savoy, ME, One Aldwych, around Strand.

      The Cornithia and Taj near Parliament.

      Rosewood and Middle Eight in Holborn.

      The Ned and FS Trinity Sq in the City.

      Shangri-La by the Shard.

      So, 2.4 miles from the proposed Park Hyatt to the Lanesborough, and nearly 5 miles from The Lanesborough to the current Shangri-La.

      I don't think you know what you're talking about.

    2. Vijay Guest

      Wow. On your rambling list I don't think more than 6 or 7 of the dozens you listed qualify as a luxury brand in the same vein as a Park Hyatt.

      I don't think you know what you're talking about

    3. K4 Guest

      You don’t live in London, do you?
      Most are better than PH not worse.

    4. Lone Gunman Guest

      In general, I agree with your comment and would whittle the list of "true" luxury down to a handful. I'll add that different people have different notions as to what qualifies as "luxury." A particular property is "very nice" to some but "luxury" to others. Or, the other way around. As an analogy, there's flying first class on American Airlines and then there's flying first class on Emirates. I'll also note that, given the list,...

      In general, I agree with your comment and would whittle the list of "true" luxury down to a handful. I'll add that different people have different notions as to what qualifies as "luxury." A particular property is "very nice" to some but "luxury" to others. Or, the other way around. As an analogy, there's flying first class on American Airlines and then there's flying first class on Emirates. I'll also note that, given the list, curiously absent is the Goring and Brown's.

      Then, there are the properties that used to be luxury. These properties all have photos of famous guests from days gone by but are a shadow of their former selves.

      We should all acknowledge that there's a difference between "luxury" and "expensive." A big part of luxury is service. All too often an entire brand is lumped into "luxury" because of its price but it consistently fails in the area of service. (For example, the Mandarin Oriental. My wife and I have found this to be the case across MO properties.) Separately, a particular property can belong to a certain brand that is widely deemed "luxury" but the specific property is "not quite there." What makes a property "not quite there" can be a number of things.

      My wife and I spend a substantial amount of time in London. One thing we've noted is how a property emerged from COVID. During COVID, smart property owners continued to pay their employees and were able to retain their "A" players. These properties emerged from COVID without missing a beat. During COVID, other property owners did not and many of their employees returned home (typically on the Continent) never to return. Including some of their "A" players. These properties emerged from COVID "off their game." In my view, these properties have simply become "expensive." (The Ritz, Savoy, and Lanesborough come to mind.)

    5. K4 Guest

      The Goring is lovely, but I'd say a very niche clientele. It was not missed off the list intentionally, however.
      I do really dislike Browns though, other than the location, to me it has nothing going for it. The decor of the rooms is no better than a Best Western.
      I would have to disagree regarding MO. The MO Ritz Madrid is a wonderful property (but I do agree the service is not...

      The Goring is lovely, but I'd say a very niche clientele. It was not missed off the list intentionally, however.
      I do really dislike Browns though, other than the location, to me it has nothing going for it. The decor of the rooms is no better than a Best Western.
      I would have to disagree regarding MO. The MO Ritz Madrid is a wonderful property (but I do agree the service is not up to par). The MO Bangkok, also great if you take in the whole property as an experience, from the Spa and Thai Fine dining across the water by private Sanpan, to the outstanding buffet, to the Michelin French and Japanese restaurants, to the riverfront Italian to Afternoon Tea in the colonial wing. There's just so much on offer in 1 property. My room, although a high category was also wonderful, and I preferred to enjoy some Hibiki with a river view than even go out to a bar.
      I also stayed at the WA Bangkok on the same trip, and objectively this was a better hotel. The breakfast buffet was excellent, the location far better, the rooms more ergonomic, and the vibrant, modern, Thai food many ranks above the traditional stuff at the MO. The service was actually also better. The Spa was cleaner, cheaper and again more ergonomic. However, being very subjective and dwelling on Character and the feeling of having everything 'on property' it is a very hard call between the 2 very different properties.
      Another MO, which was just so impressive, for nothing other than the service was the MO Jakarta. It has to bee seen to be believed.
      MO London, whilst very strange overall. On a busy road, a terrible dated bar, an odd choice to just have one Heston Blumenthal restaurant, and breakfast in the same place, or in the garden, being advertised as if its some new venue is pathetic. It does have one very major thing going for it, IMO the rooms are the absolute best in London, in terms of clean design, comfort and space.
      The most underwhelming MOs I've been to are Milan and Tokyo.
      Back to London hotels, you do have a point regarding service, however the importance of hard product in a big city hotel cannot be understated.
      I love nights out in the Connaught and Claridges, but I've stayed in both and the room at the Connaught was minuscule, the room at Claridges was obscure with hand painted walls and just frankly weird, you couldn't swing a cat in it either.
      The room hard product at hotels like the MO, FS, 45 Park Lane, can't be beat in that sense.
      That brings me back to the initial discussion, the hard product is also good at FS 10 Trinity, Shangri-La and the Rosewood, but would I stay at any - perhaps 10 Trinity if I had work in City or Shangri-La as a staycation, but the Rosewood, no way, I cannot stand the location. Would I choose these over 45 Park Lane? No way. Would I choose Nine Elms PH over those easterly hotels? Yes, I would. Nine Elms is moments from Belgravia, Chelsea and then onto Mayfair, whilst Holborn (Rosewood) is a grey, dry, busy and characterless area and before you get to a nice part of London you have a lot more urban blight to cross.
      All considered, PH's location really isn't all that bad. Nobody is saying Nine Elms itself is a good area yet, but it directly borders Chelsea & Belgravia, you don't need to enjoy Charring Cross on the way!

    6. Lone Gunman Guest

      I concur that London luxury hotels do not sit inside a small area. But, I also concur with ScottS that Nine Elms is not a convenient location. It is a bit of a walk from the nearest Tube station. If it were a choice between Nine Elms and Strand, Strand would have been most convenient for most tourist visitors. But, that's not to say that tourists are the sole target market for this property.

      Once...

      I concur that London luxury hotels do not sit inside a small area. But, I also concur with ScottS that Nine Elms is not a convenient location. It is a bit of a walk from the nearest Tube station. If it were a choice between Nine Elms and Strand, Strand would have been most convenient for most tourist visitors. But, that's not to say that tourists are the sole target market for this property.

      Once the US Embassy announced its move, property values in the Nine Elms area skyrocketed. It is one of the new fashionable spots. Just across the river is Chelsea Barracks (which is equally inconveniently located). Prices there are almost equal to those in Mayfair. There's no shortage of buyers. One target market of this Hyatt will certainly be Embassy-related business visitors. I suspect this property will likely be quite successful.

    7. K4 Guest

      I do agree being south of the river is undesirable at the moment, this does seem to be changing but that is to be seen.
      My objection is, however, saying luxury London hotels are confined to a small area.
      Like any major global city, this is precisely not the case. In Tokyo, good hotels are in Shinjuku, AND Akasaka AND Roppong AND Ginza AND many other districts.
      In New York, 5th Avenue...

      I do agree being south of the river is undesirable at the moment, this does seem to be changing but that is to be seen.
      My objection is, however, saying luxury London hotels are confined to a small area.
      Like any major global city, this is precisely not the case. In Tokyo, good hotels are in Shinjuku, AND Akasaka AND Roppong AND Ginza AND many other districts.
      In New York, 5th Avenue AND SoHo and The Village AND UES AND Central Park West AND AND AND.
      In Singapore, on Sentosa, AND Orchard AND Marina AND City Hall area…
      In HK, in TST AND Central too.

      It is what it is, an idiotic comment.

    8. K4 Guest

      Also, I do find Park Hyatts to be in “weird” locations sometimes.

      Tokyo - Not exactly Central Tokyo and in fact gentrified due to the presence of the PH there in fact.

      Dubai - In the old part of town, a very strange location.

      Vienna - Most, if not all the best hotels are on “The Ring” or very close to it, this bucks the trend and is actually way closer to the centre.

      Milan...

      Also, I do find Park Hyatts to be in “weird” locations sometimes.

      Tokyo - Not exactly Central Tokyo and in fact gentrified due to the presence of the PH there in fact.

      Dubai - In the old part of town, a very strange location.

      Vienna - Most, if not all the best hotels are on “The Ring” or very close to it, this bucks the trend and is actually way closer to the centre.

      Milan - as with Vienna, most hotels are on the inner periphery of the centre. Either in the fashion district or near the station. PH Milan beats them at their own game and is in fact connected to the Duomo right in the centre of town.

      Paris - Yes, the Ritz is also on Vendôme, but most of the best hotels are in the 8th.

      I’d actually say PH really do have a finger on the pulse when it comes to location (other than Dubai…)

    9. Kylie P Guest

      Wow, can't believe you spent so much time rambling on a blog. It's not like you're being graded for a report or earning points. You obviously have too much time on hand.

  5. ScottS Member

    Recently visited the US embassy located near the area where the London Park Hyatt is to be built. Couldn't see much, but did see the signage out front indicating it would be a Park Hyatt. It isn't a convenient area if you are there to visit and go to a West End show. You would have to get the Underground to a lot of places.

  6. SamB Diamond

    Park Hyatt to Premier Inn is quite a downgrade, LOL!

  7. Creditcrunch Diamond

    One Nine Elms (the location of the newly built US Embassy) will become a highly desirable post code over the next 5-10years when all the regeneration has been completed. It’s not a surprise Hyatt remains committed to this location.

  8. Alonzo Diamond

    The first 18 floors out of 42 isn't all that exciting. Not at those expected price levels. Really greedy to put all of those apartments.

    1. SamB Diamond

      This is becoming common at city hotels. They figure that travelers won't care if there aren't great views, but apartments on higher floors will sell for much higher prices. Developers really like having a luxury hotel component, since it can increase apartment prices by as much as 30%. Wealthy buyers value having easy access to amenities such as 24/7 room service and housekeeping, especially if they only plan on using the units part-time.

  9. Daftboy Guest

    This is really not a desirable location for a Park Hyatt - it is essenitally sited on a very busy traffic island in Vauxhall, an area that has seen a lot of redevelopment and new construction but which is not terribly succesful at ground level

    I think this property will struggle with customers who really want to be in Mayfair where all the proper high end hotels are

Featured Comments Most helpful comments ( as chosen by the OMAAT community ).

The comments on this page have not been provided, reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any advertiser, and it is not an advertiser's responsibility to ensure posts and/or questions are answered.

K4 Guest

Absolute disagree that London luxury hotels 'sit inside a small area'. In Kensington, there's Blakes and Baglioni. In Knightsbridge you have The Mandarin Oriental, Park Tower, and Bulgari. In Belgravia, The Berkeley, The Wellesley, and The Lanesborough. On Park Lane, you have The Dorchester, 45 Park Lane, Four Seasons, Grosvenor House. On Piccadilly, the Ritz. In true Mayfair, Connaught, Claridges, Biltmore. In Marylebone, Churchill, Nobu, Chiltern Firehouse, Prince Akatoki, and The Langham. Fitzrovia, Mandrake, Edition and Sanderson (far enough from Kensington yet?) Savoy, ME, One Aldwych, around Strand. The Cornithia and Taj near Parliament. Rosewood and Middle Eight in Holborn. The Ned and FS Trinity Sq in the City. Shangri-La by the Shard. So, 2.4 miles from the proposed Park Hyatt to the Lanesborough, and nearly 5 miles from The Lanesborough to the current Shangri-La. I don't think you know what you're talking about.

3
SamB Diamond

This is becoming common at city hotels. They figure that travelers won't care if there aren't great views, but apartments on higher floors will sell for much higher prices. Developers really like having a luxury hotel component, since it can increase apartment prices by as much as 30%. Wealthy buyers value having easy access to amenities such as 24/7 room service and housekeeping, especially if they only plan on using the units part-time.

2
Creditcrunch Diamond

One Nine Elms (the location of the newly built US Embassy) will become a highly desirable post code over the next 5-10years when all the regeneration has been completed. It’s not a surprise Hyatt remains committed to this location.

2
Meet Ben Schlappig, OMAAT Founder
5,163,247 Miles Traveled

32,614,600 Words Written

35,045 Posts Published

Keep Exploring OMAAT
  • September 28, 2022
  • Ben Schlappig
11
Park Hyatt Los Angeles: What’s The Latest?
  • May 16, 2022
  • Ben Schlappig
30
Review: Park Hyatt Doha, Qatar