Amba by glh: ‘Europe’s largest four-star hotel brand launch’

Over £70m is being invested in the new brand, with the four London properties situated in Marble Arch, Tower Bridge, Charing Cross and Buckingham Palace Road.

glh, formerly known as Guoman Hotel Management​, is targeting 30 key cities in the UK for Amba, with China, the USA and the rest of Europe earmarked as potential international locations.

The group’s chief executive Mike DeNoma said: “We’re excited to launch Amba -a new hotel brand that signifies our intent and ambition to unlock human potential and give property owners and developers a new deal in the four-star market.

“We want to be the first port of call for developers, owners and investors who want a new deal from a hotel management company.”

Aimed at ‘the discerning business and leisure traveller’, the launch of Amba was driven by market research from glh which found that there is an ‘unmet client needs in the four-star sector; better and more personalised service, seamless technology that actually works and authentic experiences in the best locations around the world’.

Every bedroom will feature a smart TV and fast, free WiFi will be available for all guests.

Colin Roy, glh’s chief marketing officer, added: “Four-star hospitality can be impersonal and lack differentiation. The launch of Ambasignifies a step change in the market.

“An Ambahotel will combine a fantastic location with genuine warmth, intuitive service and technology to ensure that both business and leisure travellers get the most out of their stay.

“From booking to check out, we will endeavour to offer our guests a more personal and authentic service which will leave them feeling refreshed and recharged."

Three new brands​

Today’s announcement comes just weeks after glh launched another new hotel brand – Clermont – which will make its debut in London’s embankment next year before being rolled out to 30 other ‘globally significant locations’.

glh is a subsidiary of GuocoLeisure Limited, a Singapore-listed company which has a secondary listing on the New Zealand Exchange. In total, the company owns or operates 8,279 hotel bedrooms in 36 UK hotels, over 4,000 of the bedrooms are located in London. 

Amba and Clermont are two of three entirely new hotel brands that the group is launching in the space of a year as it aims to deliver the 'best guest-centred experience in the industry'. 

"We want to be the first port of call for developers, owners and investors who want a new deal from a hotel management company," added the US-born former banker DeNoma.

"If you want to change the world, be profit accountable in an autonomous and decisive general management role, give us a call." 

BigHospitality also learnt that there are plans to eventually retire the Guoman Hotels brand altogether, following the launch of this new compant. Thistle Hotels, the four-star brand also operated by glh, is expected to remain.

Buckingham Palace Road will be the first Amba hotel to launch in June 2014.​