Starwood announces Principal group
Starwood Capital Group and Barry Sternlicht have announced the launch of Principal, a new urban lifestyle hotel group, following a capital investment in the portfolio of approximately £150 million.
Launching on 1 November, Principal will be a collection of city-centre hotels based in landmark buildings in locations across the United Kingdom. The distinctive heritage and resulting relationship between the properties and their surroundings are the cornerstones of the Principal brand. From the Georgian townhouses that form the core of The Principal Edinburgh George Street, to the clock tower of The Principal Manchester, Principal Hotels aim to define their cities and neighbourhoods.
“At the heart of a great business is a unique and authentic story. Our people and our buildings have great stories to tell, and these stories differentiate you from the competition, giving your guests and your staff something to cheer about,” explains Barry Sternlicht, Chairman and CEO of Starwood Capital Group. “Reviving these historic, grande-dame hotels is a truly great story. They are spectacular buildings in which we can create dynamic scenes. The story of each hotel, its amazing history and architecture is the opposite of the mass-produced chain hotel, and provides us with a canvas on which to curate a unique sense of place.”
At the core of every Principal Hotel is a bar and restaurant, while additional features will include vintage letterboxes in each lobby; a corner shop selling treats to stock the mini bar; a tuck box of complimentary snacks; and a fully-fledged concierge.
The Principal Manchester, on the corner of Oxford Street and Whitworth Street, will occupy three adjoining buildings dating to between 1895 and 1932. Designed by Alfred Waterhouse, his son Paul, and Stanley Birkett, all three buildings were commissioned by The Refuge Assurance Company as its company headquarters. Following an investment of more than £25 million, The Principal Manchester has been remodelled to create 270 loft-style guestrooms and suites designed by Michaelis Boyd Architects, in addition to 17 meeting and event spaces; The Refuge Dining Room and Public Bar, curated by DJs-turned restaurateurs Luke Cowdrey and Justin Crawford; and a double-height lobby where a specially commissioned, 600kg high bronze horse sculpted by Sophie Dickens stands.
The Principal York will be situated in a building that dates from 1878, built to complement and serve the significant expansion of York Railway Station, and featuring landscaped, private gardens running to three acres. Local Tadcaster stone will give the exterior a honeyed glow, and the imposing façade will suggest a grand country home as opposed to a Victorian railway hotel. The architectural restoration, by 3D Reid and Goddard Littlefair, places an elegant Garden Room at the hub of the hotel, next to the main lobby and the grand staircase. In addition to 155 guestrooms and suites, The Principal York will offer an events centre and 10 additional meeting and event spaces plus a gym and indoor pool; the Chapter House bar, serving local craft ales alongside wines, spirits and cocktails; and The Refectory Kitchen & Terrace.
Completing the trio of hotels at launch, The Principal Edinburgh on George Street will comprise five listed Georgian townhouses, built in 1775. The property will include The Printing Press Bar & Kitchen, where local Head Chef Colin Fleming serves up modern Scottish cooking, and the bar team oversees an impressive collection of local spirits, from single malts to Edinburgh gin and Scottish vodka.
The Principal portfolio also includes Principal Partners, a series of hotels that will join the brand over the course of 2017. Among them will be The Grand Central Hotel in Glasgow; The Hotel Russell in London, which is currently closed and is due to reopen next summer as The Principal London; and the former Martins Bank, which will open as The Principal Liverpool in early 2018.
The creation of Principal is a part of Starwood Capital Group’s rebranding of its UK portfolio under the new name of The Principal Hotel Company, comprising Principal and De Vere, a collection of modern, country estate hotels, with mansion houses at their heart. The De Vere brand is scheduled to launch in spring/summer 2017, following an investment of more than £50 million.
