NRI build
one of the largest and most luxurious hotel on London heathrow
Airport
London, Sep. 03, 2007
Ranbir Bhalla
NRI Surinder Arora, 47, property developer and is building a
large Luxury hotel within the airport grounds that will link directly
to Terminal 5 of Heathrow Airport. .
The hotel, called Sofitel London Heathrow, will cost £180
million and will feature a bridge connecting one of its five steel-and-glass
atriums to the terminal building, which is due to open in March,
2008
Opening in Spring 2008 to coincide with the opening of Terminal
5, the £180 million Sofitel London Heathrow is set to become
one of the largest luxury airport hotels and convention centres
in Europe. Being the only hotel at Terminal 5 and situated at
the heart of the most strategically important location in the
UK, the Sofitel London Heathrow is destined to attract international
acclaim.
Mirroring the design principles of the neighbouring terminal,
Sofitel London Heathrow is being built on a grand scale with five
towering steel and glass atria, which will make the structure
instantly recognisable. With unrivalled facilities, space and
service, the hotel is the result of everything Sofitel have learned
from forty years of bringing the inimitable French 'arte de vivre'
to prime locations around the world.
This 600 bedroom hotel, which will be the third largest meetings
and events venue in the UK, will have a total conferencing capacity
of over 2800 people and will boast 41 meeting rooms, ranging in
size from a full-scale conference suite with a capacity of 1700
theatre style to a presidential board room with adjoining salon
privé for 14 - all ensuring maximum flexibility. The layout
of the hotel's conferencing facilities will enable events to be
zoned so that they can be held in complete privacy. Larger spaces,
such as the Arora Suite will be able to accommodate anything from
major product launches and ceremonies to fashion shows. All manner
of extra large items including cars and dramatic exhibits can
be imported easily into the venue with our heavy goods lift.
John Donaldson, executive director of Sofitel London Heathrow,
explains: "The Sofitel London Heathrow will be a MICE hotel
like no other – we want to be the first and last image which
international delegations have of 'UK PLC'. The expanse and flexibility
of the hotel will ensure that we're ready to host any kind of
event. The hotel's unique location makes it the most accessible
destination for both international and domestic audiences."
The Sofitel team along with world-renowned designers, KCA International,
have worked together to create a facility very much with MICE
in mind.
John Donaldson explains: "We wanted to get the design and
functionality correct from the very beginning – we started
by talking to the most important people of all, namely the event
organisers. Using their input we have been able to create a MICE
destination that will have every possible convenience ensuring
that the experience for delegates and organisers is faultless."
There are also three dedicated event organisers' offices providing
private space that can act as a base for an event. And artistes
will welcome the Green Room where they can find a quiet haven
prior to a performance.
The delegate food and dining experience will be on a par with
London's top bars and restaurants. Variety is key with Le Marché,
a concept unique to Sofitel London Heathrow. Diners will experience
a global food market, with the aromas of 15 styles of cuisine
tempting delegates to five different food theatres.
"The whole aim of Le Marché is to encourage the chefs
at the various theatre stations to literally compete for delegates'
attention," says John Donaldson. "We want conference
dining to be every bit as exciting as eating in a top London restaurant."
Sources- 2006 Sofitel London Heathrow
"At T5 we are enhancing their spec," explains Arora.
"We want to spend more money on the product. We will have
superior, de luxe and executive bedrooms - 200 of each. In executive,
for instance, we will have TVs in the bathrooms."
It's powerful stuff for a family-run company that opened its
first hotel just eight years ago, mainly to accommodate airline
crews. It's now a growing UK brand, with two hotels each in Heathrow
and Gatwick, plus one in Manchester City Centre, which Arora owns
with Sir Cliff Richard. This side of Arora's business turned over
£40m in 2006-07 with draft audited pre-tax profits of £8.5m
and the hotels now attracting bookings from US, Japanese and other
international guests.
But it doesn't stop there. The Arora Family Trust has a further
nine hotels in its portfolio, following a £300m deal in
February 2006 to buy the Airport Hotels Unit Trust from various
investors. The fund is managed by BAA Lynton, the commercial property
arm of BAA. The approximate value of the total property portfolio,
including the T5 Sofitel when completed, is more than £700m.
