BT Tower to become a hotel

Don’t rush to make a booking, but the BT Tower, a London landmark since 1965, is to re-open as a hotel.  No opening date has been given for the 620ft structure which dominates the landscape south of the Euston Road.

According to the new owner New York based MCR the conversion will be a long and difficult job due to the complexity of the communications assets.

The Grade II listed building has previously housed a revolving restaurant, but this was closed in 1971 following an explosion, and public access to the tower ceased in the early 1980s, although it continues to be used for corporate and charity events.

MCR said that it would partner with London-based Heatherwick Studio “to consider how best to reimagine its use as a hotel”.

Readers eager to visit the forthcoming hotel may have some time to wait though – MCR said that “BT Group will take a number of years to vacate the premises, due to the scale and complexity of the work to move technical equipment, and there will be significant time for design development and engagement with local communities before proposals are revealed”.

MCR also owns and operates The High Line Hotel on New York’s 10th Avenue, as well as the TWA Hotel at JFK airport which opened in 2019, and is currently redeveloping the Gramercy Park Hotel at the bottom of Lexington Ave, New York.  It is the USA's fourth largest hotel owner with 25,000 rooms.

Commenting on the news Tyler Morse, CEO and owner of MCR, said: “We are proud to become owners and custodians of the iconic BT Tower. We will take our time to carefully develop proposals that respect the London landmark’s rich history and open the building for everyone to enjoy”.

“We see many parallels between the TWA Hotel and the BT Tower. Both are world-renowned, groundbreaking pieces of architecture. It’s been a privilege to adapt the TWA Flight Center into new use for future generations, as it will be the BT Tower.”

TNU’s Editor-in-Chief points out that it might finish up similar to the remarkable Torch Hotel, purpose-built, in Doha. www.btnews.co.uk/article/18583.

www.mcrhotels.com

Index/Home page
 

READERS' COMMENT

All comments are filtered to exclude any excesses but the Editor does not have to agree with what is being said. 200 words maximum

No one has commented yet, why don't you start the ball rolling?