What was once the headquarters of London's metropolitan police force, the Scotland Yard, will soon be a luxury hotel. The iconic building was bought from British developer Galliard Homes in July 2015 by LuLu Group International headed by Indian billionaire and business tycoon, Yusuff Ali.
Expected to launch later in 2019, the 'Great Scotland Yard Hotel' will be operated by Hyatt Group and will cost its guests as high as Rs 9 lakh for a night's stay.
Hirsch Bedner Associates, who were tasked with turning the building's 153 units into hotel rooms, took great care to ensure that the design is mindful of the building's military history. Some of the hotel rooms were previously jail cells, and few boast of having views of the Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey. The hotel is also reported to have a signature restaurant headed by chef Robin Gill.
"Galliard has delivered one of London's most outstanding five-star hotels. With its iconic address and famous history, the hotel's interior design cleverly references the building's police and military past through the use of shields, emblems and historic details etched into glass and metal work," Stephen Conway, Executive Chairman of the Galliard group, had earlier said.
Ali had previously acquired an iconic Scottish hotel based in Edinburgh in a 120-million-dollar deal clinched by Twenty14Holdings (T14H), the hospitality investment arm of his Abu Dhabi headquartered LuLu Group International.
The 'Great Scotland Yard Hotel', joins his portfolio of 650-million-dollar worth of luxury properties across the UK, the Middle East and India. The latest acquisition fits into the company strategy of investing in profitable luxury sites while preserving their historical legacy.
Among its other properties worldwide, T14H co-owns the landmark Sheraton Oman Hotel in Muscat, a 230 room five-star hotel re-opened in 2016, and owns the Steigenberger Hotel Business Bay in Dubai besides hotels in Kerala and Karnataka.
