A former hotel at Taunton station in Somerset is to be refurbished and converted into a 14 bedroom boutique hotel along with a café and conferencing space alongside co-working spaces. 

The building, the Grade II-listed Great Western House, has been empty for the past four years.

The YMCA will be refurbishing the building.

The operation will follow similar YMCA Somerset Coast projects with the focus being on offering training in hospitality, catering and business skills to young people.

The refurbishment of the building will commence this September, with a completion date prior to Christmas 2018 and a scheduled opening in January 2019.   

Details: https://www.ymca-sc.org/a-new-hotel-for-taunton/


This summer Radisson Blu Hotel London Stansted has started the final phase of its overall £6 million refurbishment project.  

The latest developments include refurbishing the atrium space plus a new meeting and events reception desk and breakout area.

Radisson Blu London Stansted has already completed the major part of its refurbishment programme including new-look hotel bedrooms, restaurants plus meetings and events spaces.

Radisson Blu London Stansted now boasts a newly refurbished conference centre with 18 meeting and events rooms -the largest meeting and events space in the local area.

The main Essex Suite has floor to ceiling windows and will accommodate up to 350 people for dinner or 600 delegates for a theatre style presentation.

Radisson Blu London Stansted is around a five-minute walk from London Stansted Airport terminal.

Details: https://www.radissonblu.com/en/hotel-stanstedairport


Daniel Thwaites Brewery is best known for brewing beer and for its pubs.  

However, over recent years it has also built up a range of hotels.

The hotels are a disparate collection ranging from local country inns to four star hotels with extensive conference and meeting facilities.

The group is now bringing them all together under a new collective: The House of Daniel Thwaites.

“Every one of our hotels and inns is fabulous in its own right – from cooking over an open fire in North Lakes or a hotel on the banks of Windermere with its own magnificent boathouse through to multi-million-pound restorations of buildings left in disrepair to transform them into luxury accommodation, bars and restaurants”said Chief Executive Rick Bailey.

To coincide with the launch of The House of Daniel Thwaites., the company has launched a new website.

The site reflects the character and unique features of each property within the group.

Daniel Thwaites Brewery is also midway through a £75million investment programme designed to accentuate the individuality of every property in The House of Daniel Thwaites.

Details: https://www.thwaites.co.uk/news-and-awards/house-daniel-thwaites/

Image: Cottons Hotel and Spa, Knutsford, Cheshire


Restaurant chain, Bistrot Pierre, has just opened a new boutique hotel in Plymouth - Rooms by Bistrot Pierre. 

Rooms by Bistrot Pierre has just 14 bedrooms and is located in the Royal William Yard’s Grade II-listed Residence One building opposite the Bistrot Pierre restaurant.

Bedrooms are fully furnished with all the latest in-room technology including free wi-fi internet access.

Breakfast and other meals are available at Bistrot Pierre.

Residence One was the former home of the Admiral of the Fleet

There is a range of proposed new hotels in Plymouth most of which are still at the planning stage. These include a new £10million-plus hotel and spa complex on Drake’s Island plus a new 80-bedroom boutique hotel on Plymouth Hoe on the site of the now demolished Quality Hotel.

Details: https://bistrotpierre.co.uk/rooms


Harbour Hotels group with hotels predominantly along the south coast of England has added two hotels to its portfolio.

The Fowey Hotel and The Metropole Hotel are both located in Cornwall and both were former members of the Richardson Hotel group.

Both hotels will now undergo a full refurbishment before officially joining the Harbour Hotels Group in 2019.

The Fowey Hotel overlooks the Fowey Estuary. It has 37 bedrooms plus a two AA Rosette restaurant and bar. 

The Metropole Hotel is located in Padstow. It has 58 bedrooms plus a two AA Rosette restaurant and a spa. 

The new additions bring the total number of hotels in the Harbour Hotels Group to 13.

Details: https://www.harbourhotels.co.uk/