The opening of Belgraves Hotel will mark the end of the refurbishment of 20 Chesham Place, London, and the transatlantic expansion of Thompson Hotels, an elite collection of service and design-driven hotels in major urban centres. Formerly known as the Sheraton Belgravia Hotel, which closed at the end of 2009, the project involves a two-storey frameless glass extension and major internal refurbishment of the building.
The £12 million project is being carried out under contractors Overbury, developed as a joint venture with the Hong Kong-based Harilela Group. EPR Architects are the architects. The company is best known for its modern approach to building design, incorporating sustainable and environmental practises, which have made a significant impact in London and elsewhere.
20 Chesham Place is located in London’s affluent and internationally recognised Belgravia neighbourhood, just minutes from the city’s renowned shops and historic Sloane Square. Blending traditional British hospitality with an American bohemian attitude, the 85-room Belgraves will interpret the Thompson luxury experience in London. Business and leisure travellers will delight in Belgraves’ attention to privacy, personalised amenities and thoughtful design.
Progressive interior architect and designer, Tara Bernerd, commented: “Belgraves is iconic for location alone. Combining this with the opportunity of working with the forward-thinking and design-savvy Thompson Hotels has magnified the appeal of the project, and allows us all as a team to create a very seductive hotel. We intend on creating a rich, eclectic and tactile design that combines traditional elegance with a modern architectural language.”
The building at 20 Chesham Place has an outer stone skeleton frame, which is used as a mechanism to unite a modern language with the classical residential and embassy properties that form its tight urban setting. The inner mass is a glass structure which, at high level, fragments into a series of vertical glass fins that diffuse light and merge the boundaries between the physical mass and the sky.
“Thompson Hotels has a style that London is calling for,” said Dr. Aron Harilela. “There is a niche in the market that is waiting to be filled and I believe we have found the perfect match. I am confident that bringing Thompson Hotels to the heart of Belgravia in creating Belgraves, we will reinvigorate the area, giving Londoners what they have been looking for and international travellers a slice of the new London.”
The Belgraves hotel will feature 85 guestrooms, an 80-seat signature restaurant, an intimate library bar, and state-of-the-art fitness centre, making it a traveller’s intimate oasis amidst a bustling Central London. The chic and eclectic lobby is set to become a second home for both hotel guests and London’s glitterati alike.
The hotel will join ten others within the Thompson portfolio – five in New York, two in LA, and one each in Washington DC, Chicago and Toronto. Belgraves will be the group’s first hotel in Europe and is part of the company’s expansion plans to create a portfolio of small, elite hotels in gateway cities around the world. After London, Seoul will be the next international destination for the launch of a Thompson hotel.
Stephen Brandman, co-owner of Thompson Hotels, said: “Thompson Hotels is known for offering unique experiences and first-rate service in stylish, urban areas. I am delighted to extend this reputation to the European market. Whether staying at Thompson LES or Smyth in NY, the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in LA or Belgraves in London, guests will rest assured that they will receive the same high level of service that defines the Thompson brand.”
Jason Pomeranc, co-owner of Thompson Hotels, said: “Our first hotel, 60 Thompson in NY, was ideologically based on the intimacy of British hotels. They have always been an inspiration to our brand, particularly those of London, and the British traveller has been very supportive of our US hotels. London is a natural transition for the Thompson brand. The opening of Belgraves brings us full circle.”
Silvan Floors Ltd.
Silvan Floors have over 20 years experience in the supply and installation of high quality hardwood floors.
James Iliffe from Silvan Floors said: “We specialise in bespoke hardwood timber flooring. The unique point about our company is the huge widths and lengths that we are able to produce. We can develop our floors to specifically meet a client’s request – the width, length, thickness, and finishing oils used – all details can be taken care of.”
They installed 154m² of hardwood flooring for the ground floor – a 24mm board with an 8mm oak top layer, in a distressed irregular cafe noir crème finish, in random widths of 302mm, 252mm and 202mm and lengths from 2,000mm to 5,000mm. This has produced a very unique finish. On the first floor, they installed around 165m² of irregular flooring in a chevron pattern, in widths of 80mm and lengths of 1200mm, with a border to the perimeter.
James Iliffe said: “We have completed the flooring for several hotels in the communal areas now. We are very happy to have been involved with the project and the client, who will add to our long list of high-end clients that we work with.”
Silvan Floors are dedicated to their environmental responsibilities and ensure that all wood is sourced responsibly; only mature trees are used for their hardwood flooring and have a full chain of custody.
