IHG, which announced plans for the ‘Olympics’ hotels earlier this year, today held a topping out ceremony to mark the completion of the steel structure for the buildings.
“Holiday Inn London Stratford City has cleared its final hurdle before opening to guests across the world for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games,” said Paul Edgecliffe-Johnson, IHG’s acting president for Europe, Middle East and Africa.
“This hotel is particularly important as it will place Holiday Inn and our guests at the heart of this momentous sporting event. Looking forward, the hotels are part of the regeneration of east London, allowing Holiday Inn and Staybridge Suites to be part of the Games’ legacy.”
Olympic route
The 188-room Holiday Inn and the 162-suite Staybridge Suites hotels will be operated by a Patron Capital and Cycas Hospitality partnership, under a franchise agreement with IHG. They will be managed by Cycas, which is part of the joint venture ownership of ES Properties.
The two hotels, which will open ahead of the Games, will be built by Westfield and will be situated at the centre of the Westfield Stratford City shopping centre development, which will include 1.9m sq ft of retail and leisure space, 1.1m sq ft of offices, as well as homes and community facilities.
They also sit adjacent to the Stratford regional station, and directly by one of the primary routes for access to the Olympic Park.
John Wagner, a director of Cycas said: “These two new hotels are situated right in the middle of one of London’s most important developments. They will be at the centre of one of the world’s premier sporting and retail areas and the two hotels will offer choice for both business and leisure guests.”
Growth plans
The Staybridge Suites London Stratford City will be the third Staybridge Suites to open in the UK. Staybridge Suites Liverpool opened in 2008 and Staybridge Suites Newcastle opened in 2009.
IHG’s Holiday Inn brand currently has 237 hotels in the UK, and plans to open a further 22 “in the next few years”.