The UK’s hotel market is set to grow steadily in the future.

According to TOPHOTELPROJECTS, 375 new hotels are planned in the UK and will further grow the country’s offering in primary and secondary markets.

375 hotels will bring 55,388 new rooms to the UK’s hospitality market in the next few years.

We find out more about where these new properties are opening, and which brands are driving growth.

Solid growth projections for the UK

The UK’s hotel market was due to grow by 101 projects and 14,958 rooms in 2020. Given the situation around coronavirus, it is likely that not all projects will be able to open their doors by the end of the year. However, since it is impossible to know how exactly the crisis will progress, we will have to wait and see when this year’s openings will be able to go ahead.

Assuming no 2020 openings spill over into 2021, next year’s pipeline already has 96 new hotels with 13,994 rooms. 39 properties are planned for 2022 and another 139 are on the books form 2023 and beyond.

The majority (287) of the new hotels opening in the UK will be in the 4-star segment while 88 will be in the 5-star category.

The UK’s fastest-growing urban hotel markets

As usual, London leads the list with 97 new hotels and 17,779 rooms planned for the coming years. Liverpool follows in second place with 23 hotels and 3,174 rooms. Glasgow and Manchester will each see 21 openings.

Birmingham will get 11 new hotels. Plymouth and Edinburgh each have 10 projects in their pipeline. Leeds, Cambridge and Belfast complete the top 10 with 8, 7 and 6 new hotels respectively.

The 5 fastest-growing hotel brands in the UK

Hilton is expanding aggressively in the UK and takes up 3 spots in the Kingdom’s top 5. Hampton by Hilton leads the pack with 21 projects and 3,280 rooms. Hilton Garden Inn comes in third place with 7 hotels and 1,326 rooms and DoubleTree by Hilton is in fifth place with 6 hotels and 1,306 properties.

Courtyard by Marriott takes second place with 8 openings and 1,473 rooms and Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts gets 7 new hotels with 1,764 rooms.

Europe Hotel Construction Report

Did you know that 1,800 hotel projects are in the pipeline in Europe? Get your free copy of our latest report for more details.

Noteworthy hotel projects in the United Kingdom

Strand Palace, one of London’s largest hotels, has kick-started a multimillion-pound refurbishment. Work on the property’s ground floor, including the reception, restaurant, bar and tearoom, has just started and is expected to be completed in the summer. The bedrooms will then be redecorated by Trevillion to position the hotel at the top of the capital’s four-star offer. The new public spaces will operate as flexible lifestyle areas in which subtle Art Deco influences will be integrated into a contemporary design.

A new mixed-use scheme in downtown London will include a 178.5-metre residential tower containing 227 new homes over 51 levels, the 550-room Staycity Aparthotel Blackfriars London and 61 affordable housing units. A range of on-site retail, a small live music venue and a 136-metre office tower by Brisac Gonzales complete the project. The main elements of the scheme are gathered around a new public square at the heart of the development. Pedestrian access and high-quality public realm are key design elements.

Radical plans have been submitted to the City of London to create the 385-room Citicap House Hotel, a five-star hotel, featuring vertical landscaping, as well as over 3,700 square meters (40,000 square feet) of workspace, a sky-bar on the tenth floor, meeting and events spaces, a spa and a ground-level restaurant and co-working space. Situated on a prominent site on Holborn Viaduct at the gateway of what will be the City’s “Cultural Mile,” the proposed building creates an opportunity to broadcast fresh ideas about how the built environment can address pertinent issues such as air quality, climate change and air pollution.

The 27-floor Art’Otel London is slated to launch by Q1 2023 and will offer 343 rooms and suites. On the top floors, guests can enjoy a lounge, bar, gym and destination restaurant, all with dazzling views of the London skyline. The lower levels will house an art gallery with changing exhibits as well as a space for cultural and artistic events held by established and emerging talent.

Let’s take a look at some more outstanding hotel projects in the UK: