Britain at its majestic best: Want a prime spot for the Coronation or just to chill in the Cotswolds? We reveal the UK’s best new hotels for 2023
- Barnsdale Lodge in Rutland is set to bring the same relaxed country style as sister property Elcot Park
- Golf fans will be swinging into Slieve Donard in Northern Ireland when it emerges from its makeover
- The former Whiteley’s department store in Bayswater is being transformed into a Six Senses hotel
Home-grown hospitality has been given a huge boost over the past few years with the surge in staycations. And to feed this appetite for holidays without the hassle of flights, a swathe of new hotels are preparing to open their doors to guests in 2023, ranging from seaside boutiques to countryside havens and swish city pads.
Here’s a selection of the best.
Churchill’s office and Pink Floyd’s power station
The former Whiteley’s department store in Bayswater (pictured), which first opened in 1911, is being transformed into a Six Senses hotel
World of wellness: Six Senses Bayswater will have a 65ft swimming pool and sports facilities
On May 6, all eyes will be on London for the Coronation of King Charles III, and there will be a batch of new hotels for guests arriving from around the world. Across the road from the gardens of Buckingham Palace and Wellington Arch, the Peninsula will have 190 calm and considered rooms and suites (peninsula.com/en/london).
If it can open in time, the Old War Office will have even better views. Opposite Horse Guards Parade, this ornate Edwardian beauty will become Raffles OWO in 2023, with 11 restaurants and 120 billets in what were once the offices of Winston Churchill, John Profumo and James Bond creator Ian Fleming. History buffs will love it (raffles.com/destinations/development).
In Mayfair, a Mandarin Oriental is opening in Hanover Square. There will be just 50 guest rooms alongside 78 residences for longer-term stays. Compared to the front and centre nature of its sister hotel in Knightsbridge, it’ll be quieter, but its Akira Black restaurant will bring Michelin-starred Korean fusion cuisine (mandarinoriental.com/en/london/mayfair).
The Old War Office will become Raffles OWO in 2023, with 11 restaurants and 120 billets in what were once the offices of Winston Churchill, John Profumo and James Bond creator Ian Fleming
Above is a room at Sun Street in London, which has recently opened its doors on the regally named One Crown Place
Splash of colour: Room-only doubles at Sun Street cost from £250 per night
In a development that will no doubt gladden the new King’s environmentally minded heart, the US brand 1 Hotel is also due to open in Mayfair in time for the Coronation, with 181 serene rooms and suites, some with views on to Green Park. There’s no single-use plastic, living walls take the place of cut flowers, and alongside a firm commitment to sustainability will be very seasonal food from British Michelin-starred chef Tom Sellers (1hotels.com/sprouting-soon).
In the City, on the regally named One Crown Place is the just-opened Sun Street, which has 41 rooms. This beautiful hotel has its own courtyard, full of colour and warmth, where you’ll find an orangery, outside tables and a restaurant stocked by London’s nearby food markets, including Smithfield. Room-only doubles cost from £250 per night (sunstreethotel.com).
When Londoners want unadulterated fun, they head to Soho. In time for summer, The Broadwick will have 47 panache-laden guestrooms and nine suites, many with private balconies for a bird’s-eye view of Soho’s vibrant streets. There’s a rooftop bar, wraparound terrace and a restaurant that references Soho’s Sicilian heritage of the 1950s (broadwicksoho.com).
The Ruby group supplies style without costing a fortune. Ruby Zoe (above) on Notting Hill Gate will tap into the area’s West Indian heritage, with murals by Trinidadian-British artist Zak Ove
Next year will also see some choice hotels on the edge of Central London. Pink Floyd fans will want to check in to Art’otel Battersea within the old Battersea Power Station, the building famously used by the band on the cover of its Animals album but which now has a rooftop pool plus a 15th-floor restaurant where you can pig out on the views. It opened this month. Room-only doubles cost from £340 per night (artotellondonbattersea.com).
The Ruby group supplies style without costing a fortune. Ruby Zoe on Notting Hill Gate will tap into the area’s West Indian heritage, with murals by Trinidadian- British artist Zak Ove, and a 24-hour bar. Expect to pay under £200 a night (ruby-hotels.com).
In nearby Bayswater, the former Whiteley’s department store, which first opened in 1911, is being transformed into a Six Senses hotel with a firm accent on wellness. There will be a 65ft swimming pool and sports facilities (sixsenses.com).
See mummies in Manchester or euro stars in Liverpool
Virgin Glasgow (pictured) will have 240 rooms and suites by Easter, with views over the Clyde and the city
Edinburgh had two stellar hotel openings in 2022, with Virgin and Gleneagles Townhouse. And in July, 100 Princes Street will open in the former Royal Over-Seas League clubhouse, with custom-made tartan and a grand central staircase. There will be 30 rooms and a lounge with views of the castle (100princes-street.com).
Already part of the cityscape, the architecture of the W Edinburgh has been likened to a steel Walnut Whip. Covering 12 storeys, there will be 214 rooms and suites, all resolutely modern in style, plus a branch of Sushi Samba with Japanese-Brazilian fusion food (whotel.com-edinburgh.com).
Expect Virgin Glasgow to have 240 rooms and suites by Easter, with views over the Clyde and the city. Room-only doubles from £119 per night (virginhotels.com/glasgow).
In Spring, Treehouse Hotel will open in Manchester, bringing a rooftop garden and bar, 200-odd rooms and two restaurants
England’s second city has a real buzz about it for 2023. The Manchester Museum will open with exhibits never seen in public before, plus dinosaurs, Egyptian mummies and a special focus on Chinese art.
Factory International, which runs the Manchester International Festival, will have a new home in the Granada Studios building, creating an arts complex to rival any in London, including two public spaces overlooking the River Irwell (factoryinternational.org), and there are new green trails opening too.
When it comes to hotels, this year brought Leven and The Alan, and 2023 will see more mouthwatering accommodation. A branch of Soho House will open in the former Granada Studios building, with rooftop pool, workspaces and lounges (sohohouse.com/houses). If that’s beyond your budget, Mollies is Soho House’s cheaper, cheeky, motel-inspired sibling and that’s moving into Manchester too, with rooms from about £50 per night (mollies.com/manchester).
The Municipal Hotel Liverpool is to be opened by Accor in 2023. Above is a render of the hotel’s palm court
When spring arrives, Treehouse will open, bringing a rooftop garden and bar, 200-odd rooms and two restaurants from local chefs Sam Grainger and Mary-Ellen McTague plus a real commitment to sustainability; it’s the younger sibling of the 1 Hotel group, (treehousehotels.com/taking-root).
Liverpool will host the Eurovision Song Contest on May 13. Prices are already astronomical and there’s one new opening on the horizon that will be desperate to launch in time. The Municipal on Dale Street, converted from once-grandiose Victorian council buildings, recently revealed a painstakingly restored exterior and now there’s a race against time for the 179 bedrooms, spa and palm court to be finished, and staff trained, before it opens as an Accor hotel (accor.com).
Frolic in the Peak District or go fishing in Devon
Mind your manor: Cowley Manor in the Cotswolds will be showing off four newly revived rooms plus revamped spa, with indoor and outdoor pools in spring
Things are stirring in the countryside too. In Devon, the Mole Resort, covering 125 acres, already has 15 family-minded lodges, each with hot tubs and fully equipped kitchens, as well as a restaurant that also does takeaways.
By summer, an Edwardian pile that was formerly the Highbullen Hotel will open. The resort has swimming pools, tennis courts and fly-fishing on the Rivers Mole and Tow. Rooms cost from £80 per night (themoleresort.co.uk).
Come spring, Bike & Boot will open in the Peak District near Hope Valley. Like its Scarborough sibling, far from turning up its nose at those who like to get muddy – whether humans or dogs – it welcomes them with drying areas for hiking kit, a spa area for pets and secure bike parking areas, plus hearty food (bikeandboot.com/about).
Mud-friendly: The Bike & Boot in the Peak District will have drying areas for hiking kit, a spa area for pets and secure bike parking areas, plus hearty food
Cowley Manor in the Cotswolds is currently undergoing a reinvention by its new owners, the Experimental Group, and in spring it will be showing off four newly revived rooms plus revamped spa, with indoor and outdoor pools. Above all, food will take on increased importance. Chef Dominic Hargreaves will be taking cooking outdoors in the summer months (cowleymanor.com).
Getting ready to open in March, The Tempus near Alnwick in Northumberland is on the same 150-acre estate as the very popular Charlton Hall wedding venue. It’s designed to be fun, with the 15 bedrooms inspired by Alice In Wonderland, plus a restaurant and bar. Half-board doubles cost from £285 per night (charltonhall.co.uk).
Near Barnard Castle is the newly opened Runa Farm, which aims to bring some cool to the County Durham countryside. A 30-room hotel mixes oriental fabrics with rustic charm in both couples and family configurations, while the Smithy provides locally sourced food. B&B doubles cost from £155 per night (runa-farm.com).
Getting ready to open in March, The Tempus near Alnwick in Northumberland is on the same 150-acre estate as the very popular Charlton Hall wedding venue
Guests can expect 46 rooms, all-day dining, waterside walks and croquet at Barnsdale Lodge (pictured) in Rutland when it opens in late spring
By late spring, Barnsdale Lodge in Rutland will bring the same relaxed country style as sister property Elcot Park, with 46 rooms, all-day dining, waterside walks and croquet. B&B doubles cost from £120 per night (barnsdalelodge.co.uk).
In time for Easter, the Bracken Hide will welcome guests on the Isle of Skye.
There are 45 cabins across the 53 acres of land, but this isn’t about isolation. The Hub houses a restaurant, whisky bar, cinema room and general hang-out area. A sauna with a natural plunge pool will complete the Scandi-come-Skye vibe. B&B doubles cost from £150 per night (brackenhide.co.uk).
Feast on brilliant food and art in Emin’s home town
Above is one of the 14 ‘simple’ guest rooms at Margate’s Fort Road Hotel, which is now open for business
The food at Fort Road Hotel is ‘beautifully unfussy’. Room-only doubles cost from £190 per night
Britain’s seaside towns are growing up in a delightful way, particularly in the South of England. Just opened in Margate is the Fort Road Hotel. The 14 rooms are simple and the food from chef Daisy Cecil is beautifully unfussy, harking back to Jane Grigson and Elizabeth David, and there’s art to feast on too, including pieces by local girl Tracey Emin. Room-only doubles cost from £190 per night (fortroadhotel.com).
Also opening soon in Margate is the Guesthouse, run by the Guest brothers, who operate a fun, food-minded group of hotels.
This one is in a Victorian beachfront building that will have – by spring – 21 bedrooms, a restaurant, a spa and the nice dose of eccentricity that the brothers’ other hotels have.
Sur Mer Suffolk in Aldeburgh, which started as a restaurant by Covid refugees, will shortly unveil six bedrooms
Head around the coast to Brighton and you’ll find another Guest brothers gem: 124 Kings Road, a collection of barrel-fronted Georgian buildings opposite the beach and promising all the fun of Britain’s most playful city (guesthousehotels.co.uk).
Golf fans – and their widows and widowers – will be swinging into Slieve Donard in Northern Ireland when it emerges from its makeover. Next to Royal County Down Golf Club, there are the Mourne mountains to climb, Newcastle Beach to walk along and a spa with superb sea views (slievedonardhotel.com).
Aldeburgh has always kept its charms low-key, and Sur Mer Suffolk on its High Street is no exception.
Golf fans will be swinging into Slieve Donard in Northern Ireland, above, when it emerges from its makeover
Slieve Donard is located next to Royal County Down Golf Club and has a spa with ‘superb’ sea views
Started as a restaurant by Covid refugees from London’s famed L’Escargot, there will soon be six rooms to allow you to stay over and eat again the next day (the-suffolk.co.uk).
The people behind Celtic Manor will open Ty Newport in bringing pep and affordable style to this Welsh coastal town. Expect a restaurant that concentrates on local seafood along with simple but stylish rooms that cost about £100 per night (ty-hotels.com).
- Rates not yet confirmed unless stated.
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