London & South East Premier Hospitality

Sheraton Grand London Park Lane

Sheraton
Written by Roma Publications

Sheraton Grand – Mayfair landmark’s multi million pound renaissance

Sheraton

A famous Mayfair Art Deco landmark hotel is set to make a dramatic new debut, following a multi-million pound renovation to create The Sheraton Grand London Park Lane – introducing Sheraton Hotel’s new ‘Grand’ tier to the heart of London.

The hotel, formally known as The Park Lane Hotel, will start a new chapter in its 90-year history, following the major scheme to transform its guest rooms and public spaces, including the famed Palm Court Lounge and Grade II listed Art Deco ballroom and Silver Gallery.

Principal contractors for this prestigious project are BECK Interiors Ltd; architects are Woods Bagot; and designers are MKV.

The renovation combines the modern touches of a five-star hotel with careful restoration to retain the original elegance and Art Deco glamour of this historic property.

As the first Sheraton Grand in London, the hotel joins a select portfolio of 27 of the finest Sheraton hotels around the world, recognised for their enticing destinations, distinguished designs and excellence in service and guest experience.

The 303-room hotel opened in 1927 at the height of the Roaring Twenties, and from its heyday as the hangout of choice for socialites, celebrities and the aristocracy, The Sheraton Grand London Park Lane has a history of bringing people together in the heart of Mayfair.

Building on the hotel’s Art Deco heritage and social sway, the new interior is designed to provide a series of well-connected spaces where business and pleasure seamlessly combine.

The 303 guest rooms have been completely stripped back and redesigned in order to create an elegant, luxury hotel experience, capturing the spirit of the Art Deco era.

Interior designers MKV Design have created a space where the stylish and modern furnishings make a subtle reference to the building’s heritage, for example in the proportions and curved forms of the furniture, the polished cabinetry, decorative light fittings and carpet designs. The hotel is said to have been the first in London to offer guests ensuite bathrooms and the remaining original marble bathrooms have been preserved and brought up to date for a contemporary five star hotel experience.

New to the hotel, 43 Sheraton Club Rooms will offer a high level of comfort and convenience. They will provide access to the Sheraton Club Lounge: a private space where guests can enjoy complimentary breakfast, drinks and snacks during the day, a taster of The Palm Court afternoon tea, together with a full bar and evening canapés.

Guests can connect with friends, meet with colleagues or simply relax in this modern elegant space. For business travellers, the Club Rooms also include complimentary use of a private meeting room within the Sheraton Club Lounge, which can seat up to eight people.

The hotel’s 21 suites have been reconfigured to make best use of the internal space and take full advantage of leafy views over Green Park. Many now have the option of opening up into adjoining suites to accommodate large family groups.

The hotel’s Grand Suite is a statement in luxury, comprising an entrance lobby, master bedroom and bathroom, living and dining areas, study and guest WC. Rooms are interconnected with double-width, sliding pocket doors enabling the entire suite to be opened into a single space.

The renovation is creating contemporary meeting places for today’s influencers and global travellers. For example the hotel’s famous Palm Court Lounge, sleek furniture, and a magnificent stained glass ceiling will provide the backdrop to a vibrant atmosphere and lively social scene.

In keeping with the tradition of the grand hotel lounges of the 1920s and 30s, breakfast, afternoon tea, dinner and cocktails will all be served, with imaginative menu additions through a new food and beverage programme which offers small plates and eclectic bar snacks, served alongside suggested premium wines and local craft beers. In addition, the hotel will boast a new and authentic Italian restaurant, Mercante, for hotel guests and visitors alike.

With considerable meetings and events facilities and several unique Art Deco spaces, the hotel continues to be in high demand for filming and photoshoots, as well as high profile events, galas, award dinners and weddings. The full size Art Deco Ballroom remains one of London’s most coveted venues, complete with its own entrance hall, gallery and dedicated kosher kitchen.

As a phased renovation, the hotel has remained open throughout the project, with key elements already available to guests and visitors, including a significant inventory of refurbished guest rooms, a new lobby/reception area, and Smith & Whistle – a sleek 1920s themed bar serving cocktails and craft beers alongside British-inspired sharing plates.

Smith & Whistle takes its name from the 1920s duo, Detective Inspector Smith and socialite scoundrel Mr. Whistle; sworn enemies who would call an occasional truce to meet at the bar and swap secrets from either side of the law.

The BECK Team involved in the delivery of the scheme, spoke of the construction elements of the project, which is currently making excellent progress ahead of schedule.

“Carried out in two phase the refurbishment consisted of 303 guest rooms, public areas and back of house. The project features a multitude of specialist finishes some of which include travertine stone from Italy, bespoke joinery manufactured in BECK’s workshop and fibrous plaster ceilings. Careful attention was also required when blending the old features with the new.”

Accessed from the hotel’s Brick Street entrance, a new reception complete with reception desk and concierge area was also created, and leads directly into the hotel’s famous Palm Court and Club Lounge, which has been completely renovated.

These works included the addition of a central raised section of flooring beneath the original listed Art Deco stained glass ceiling, as well as the introduction of a new bar and a new two-way fireplace, looking through into the reception area. “The design ties in with the Art Deco style of the hotel, whilst providing a modern feel,” said BECK.

BECK continued: “A new Club Lounge has been created and tailored towards the requirements of business guests. The Lounge with its timber and carpet flooring, features bespoke joinery and the original fibrous ceiling has been retained, repaired and extended by skilled craftsmen.”

In addition was a complete new stainless steel state of the art kitchen, serving the hotel’s new Mercante restaurant (originally known as Bracewell’s). The restaurant has been created within a space previously occupied by meeting rooms and features timber and tiled flooring.

The works also involved the creation of the new Smith and Whistle bar in what was originally the Citrus Bar and restaurant. The flooring in this area is in burnished oak.

In addition, the hotel’s Silver Gallery was refurbished, including the restoration of some of the gallery’s silver leaf.

Within the building’s basement, a gym and a meeting room have been knocked through and completely refurbished to form a large gymnasium.

The ballroom, which has a mezzanine level, is located in the basement and sub-basement, and numerous works were carried out within this area. All the lighting was taken down and sent away to be converted into LED lights. Further works included the complete re-decoration of the space in its original colours, the refurbishment and re-instatement of all the ballroom’s silver-leaf columns, together with balustrading around the mezzanine level, and the laying of new carpets.

Further elements of the project included the refurbishment of the hotel’s main kitchen in the sub-basement, and the replacement of 80 per cent of the hotel’s plant, as well as the installation of complete new services in the bedrooms and new bathrooms.

BECK confirmed: “A key challenge to the project was working within a fully live and operational hotel – particularly with regards to extensive works on the building services, which had to be kept running at all times. Refurbishing the hotel’s main kitchen in the sub-basement also required careful planning to ensure that catering services still ran smoothly, whilst ensuring the hotel guests experienced minimal disruptions.”

“With the mixture of old and new, the iconic Sheraton Grand Hotel has been a fantastic and interesting project for BECK. It has been a real pleasure working with the professional team as well as building and maintaining a brilliant relationship with the hotel throughout the refurbishment.”

The project is due for early completion at the end of August 2016.

The award of ‘Grand’ status marks the renovated hotel becoming one of London’s iconic historic hotels once again.

Sheraton Grand is just one of many initiatives currently underway for Sheraton 2020, a comprehensive 10-point plan revealed in June 2015, designed to put Sheraton Hotels and Resorts firmly back into the global spotlight.

A nod to the plan’s clear five year vision, Sheraton 2020 also includes a new multi-million Sheraton-focused marketing campaign; the launch of a new elevated food and beverage programme, Paired; continuous innovation of the Sheraton guest experience; an unwavering commitment to service excellence; the implementation of revenue and profit-driving initiatives to benefit owners and developers; and a goal of opening more than 150 new Sheraton hotels worldwide by 2020.

Faucets – Simply the biggest in bathroom brassware

Faucets, the UK’s leading independent stockist and distributor of quality bathroom brassware and sanitary products has been a one-stop shop for quality bathroom fittings since 1983.

Faucets’ knowledgeable and technically trained consultants work closely with their clients to offer an unrivalled and complete service to their customers.

Some of Faucets’ recent UK projects include Sheraton Heathrow; Fairmont Hotel St Andrews; The Langham Hotel; Stone Manor; Diamond Resorts, Pine Lake; and Hilton at Tower Bridge.

www.faucets.co.uk/commercial.

A1 Powder Coatings Ltd

A1 Powder Coatings Ltd is a specialist coating systems finisher with the ability to apply 10-25yr life protection to various surfaces and fireproof coating to structural steels. Established in 2003, A1 has successfully tendered projects for National Grid (coating systems to overground gas processing stations & Southampton power station), Railtrack (preservation coating to Victorian railings at Barnes bridge), plus numerous new build and refurbishment projects.

Most recently A1 Powder Coatings Ltd was involved with Sheraton Grand Park Lane Hotel, providing on-site shot blast and paint spray services to refurbish external steel fire escape stair cases.

Malcolm Willis of A1 Powder Coatings Ltd, said:

“Our reputation for achieving excellence is demonstrated through projects like Park Lane where only first class outcomes are acceptable by the client.”

Malcolm added:

“A1 work hard to be the first provider that our customer base refers to when they experience a need for blasting, fireproofing and protective coating systems.”

Croydon Ductwork Limited

Incorporated in 1989 Croydon Ductwork Limited has grown into a dynamic vibrant company established on a wealth of experience within the specialised ductwork industry. Founded by Eric Wood the company’s aim was to excel in high levels of service to the construction industry fulfilling any ventilation requirement ranging from a detailed site survey, design, CAD coordination and ultimately a site installation to the highest of standards. This ethos has been passed on to the next generation and the company continues to flourish as a result.

Croydon Ductwork Limited has a diverse client portfolio and has delivered projects such as Millennium Dome (now the O2), over 100 Sainsbury’s stores nationwide, Harvey Nichols, The London Palladium, Broadmoor Hospital and the London Aquarium.

In order to discuss the company and its involvements with Sheraton Grand Park Lane, Premier Hospitality spoke with Richard Wood, Managing Director of Croydon Ductwork Limited, who commented:

“We completed a regeneration project at the Sheraton Grand – there are over 300 bedrooms across eight floors all requiring supply and extract ventilation. We have been involved with a comprehensive overhaul to the lower basement kitchen which is served by a totally new ventilation system including a fire rated element. The project also included the reception, bars and various communal areas.”

“We feel honoured to have been part of the team that has worked on this development because the Sheraton is a household name and a flagship hotel in London.”

“As a company we pride ourselves on our level of service and attention to detail within an industry that demands high standards; we believe Croydon Ductwork Limited meets those high standards.”

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