Premier Hospitality

Great Scotland Yard Hotel

Scotland Yard
Written by Roma Publications

Great Scotland Yard Hotel

Leading London developer Galliard Group has completed the 3.5 year construction of the new Great Scotland Yard Hotel. Once the location of the original Scotland Yard Metropolitan Police HQ and later offices for the Ministry of Defence, the site is now home to a magnificent 93,000 sq. ft., five star hotel, owned by Lula Group International and operated by Hyatt.

In 2013 Galliard Group acquired a 125 year Crown Estate lease on the building, which was exchanged for a forward sale when completed to Abu Dhabi based Lulu Group International in 2016 for £110 million. Galliard’s construction division has now completed the £75 million construction project to deliver the new hotel, working with world-renowned hospitality design firm Hirsh Bedner Associates.

One of the finest five-star hotels ever built in London, the seven-storey hotel at 1-5 Great Scotland Yard provides 153 bedrooms and suites. The 11 suites, including a spectacular townhouse suite, were created from part of the original Scotland Yard Premises.

Hotel features include interior design references to the building’s police and military past through the use of shields, emblems and historic details etched into glass and metalwork. The hotel has a double height vestibule, grand entrance lounge, concierge, main cocktail bar, palm court style lounge, whiskey bar/clubroom, signature restaurant, library, gymnasium, 120 seater main conference room/ballroom, meeting rooms and function/private dining rooms.

To deliver the Great Scotland Yard Hotel the construction division of Galliard Group, led by CEO Don O’Sullivan and MD Robin Hawkins, project managed a team including Head of Galliard Design Lesley Lawson and Galliard Construction Director Darren Maguire, working alongside professional consultants and an international team on site of up to 200 people, from 18 different countries. Galliard was responsible for construction and build, shell and core design, fit out specification procurement and logistics and M&E.

At Great Scotland Yard Hotel, two Grade II listed Georgian townhouses and a grand Edwardian building have been converted to create the hotel. The elegant facades have been restored, behind which luxurious interiors with a bespoke specification provide exquisite private and public entertaining spaces, paying tribute to the rich history of Great Scotland Yard, alongside hotel rooms and suites of exceptional quality.

To deliver the outstanding specification, Galliard sourced over 200 different custom-made materials, fixtures and fittings from locations including Italy, Vietnam, China, Japan and Turkey using the finest finishes including different marbles, stone, crystal, wood and leathers. Artisans from six different countries were sourced to create many of the hand crafted special finishes including wall panelling, bespoke flooring and ceiling mouldings.

Originally five storeys in height, the main Edwardian building has a grand Imperial Red brick and Portland stone façade with arched main entrance, ornate pediment and tall windows with feature brick and stone detailing. Galliard has extended the building, adding two new levels of basement and two new floors above the original roof level, including a top storey with a period-style Westmorland slate clad masard roof, with handmade slate, and ecological features.

Galliard has repaired, cleaned and restored the Edwardian façade, adding an Edwardian style feature clock, Gas-style copper lanterns and plant boxes. Behind the retained façade, Galliard built a concrete frame to support the new hotel and have created brand new interiors over nine levels.

Double doors at the hotel entrance lead into a vestibule with an eight metre high ceiling, featuring a chandelier by Precioisa. The doors open onto the main reception foyer, which has Italian Crema marble flooring in a bespoke marquetry design created from different coloured marbles and a custom designed plasterwork ceiling with cornices and ceiling roses, created by artisans. In keeping with the building’s heritage, the walls are lined in walnut panelling, antique-bronze mirrorwork and bespoke joinery.

The main cocktail bar has a spectacular glass feature dome and bespoke crystal glass sculpture/chandelier, created by Lasvit, the bohemian lighting specialist. Above the glass dome is a landscaped atrium, designed by Anne French Associates, which rises through the centre of the hotel. The cocktail bar has marble marquetry design flooring, a bespoke bar crafted from custom-design metalwork with cabinetry for drinks and glasses, whilst built into the walls is banquette seating lined in button-cushion leather.

Located behind faux book doors in the main foyer, the whiskey bar/clubroom has timber marquetry flooring created by artisans from Italy, timber panelled walls and plasterwork ceiling. The bar is created from natural tree trunks and the room is complete with bespoke display cases for whiskey and other drinks. Another lounge is designed in the style of a Victorian palm court with Indian inspired wallcovering and ironmongery, complete with feature fireplace and ceiling designs.

The design of the signature restaurant is inspired by industrial warehouse architecture with oak timber flooring, ceramic wall tiling, exposed brick walls and coffered vaulted ceilings.

Scotland Yard

On the lower ground floor/basement 1 the cells, have been replaced by a gymnasium with changing rooms, meeting/conference rooms, a 120 seater conference space/ballroom and a series of VIP function rooms. The function spaces have been designed to replicate the interiors of a grand London townhouse with bespoke oak parquet flooring, chevron patterned ceiling, marble fireplace, kitchen serving area with Union Jack Smeg fridges and library area with bespoke joinery. Basement 2 contains back of house facilities including plant, kitchens, staff offices and leisure area.

The hotel bedrooms have ornate coffered ceilings, bespoke fitted wardrobes, mini-bar units and mirrorwork and luxurious bathrooms with marble flooring, walk-in showers and bespoke vanity units. The suites have an antre room, living area, bedroom suite with feature stone fireplace and VIP bathrooms, with selected suites benefitting from private terraces.

The Grade II listed townhouse at No.1 Great Scotland Yard, has been incorporated into the main hotel. It has been transformed into a magnificent VIP-suite for visiting business tycoons, celebrities, musicians and heads of state. Arranged over several floors the VIP-suite links into the main hotel but has the benefit of its own private street entrance, opening onto the historic yard which helped give the address its famous name. Like staying in a London townhouse the VIP-suite benefits from its own family/living room, kitchen, dining room, private study/reception room, wine cellar and two floors of bedrooms.

Commenting on the importance of the project, Darren Maguire from Galliard Group said: “As the Construction Director for Galliard, this is one of 34 projects that I have on my schedule. It is the ninth hotel I have done in my career and it is certainly up there with the best of the five star hotels I have done and it is going to be a testament to the quality of work that Galliard can produce because predominately, we are known as a residential developer, even though we have done a number of hotels over the last few years, this would certainly be the flagship of them.

About the author

Roma Publications