Rosewood Hotels & Resorts to open hotels in U.K. and China

As an unabashed fan of the Rosewood Hotel Georgia in Vancouver, B.C., I was pleased to learn that Rosewood Hotels & Resorts® is in the midst of an ambitious expansion program (or perhaps I should say, “programme”) overseas and, close on the heels of the opening of the Rosewood Abu Dhabi, will open new hotels in England and China this fall.

The 306-room Rosewood London will open in October after an extensive renovation to what was formerly the Chancery Court Hotel at 252 High Holborn. The building, a 1914 Edwardian building listed on The National Heritage List for England as a historic structure, was originally the headquarters of the Pearl Assurance Company. The renovation cost more than £85 million, or US$130 million and, according to the hotel chain, resulted in a property that blends English heritage with contemporary sophistication.

Rosewood London Manor House
Because it is a historic building, the façade as well as the dark mahogany and rare marble on the interior will be carefully preserved while restored original marble columns in the lobby will be complemented by new stone and mosaic flooring. A rich composition of materials, including lacquer, textured wood veneers and prismatic mirrors, will lend understated elegance to the interiors, according to Rosewood press materials.

Original features of the Edwardian Belle Époque building, such as the original carriageway entrance to the arrival courtyard and the grand Pavonazzo marble staircase rising over seven stories within the property, will be retained.

Rosewood London will offer 262 guestrooms and 44 suites that will convey the feel of a stylish London residence. The design was created by renowned New York-based design firm Tony Chi and Associates, which also oversaw the design of public areas and event spaces.

Rosewood London Living Room
The hotel will include a restaurant with an outdoor terrace, a bar. a Sense® spa - Rosewood’s signature spa brand - and a fitness suite. It will also offer 11 events spaces including a ballroom, which will accommodate up to 435 guests and separate meetings and special events rooms for groups of ten to 85.

The hotel’s central location is close to the City of London. Shopping areas and tourist attractions such as Covent Garden, the Royal Opera House, West End theatres, Hatton Garden, museums and galleries are all just a short walk away.

Meanwhile, the 279-room Rosewood Beijing will open in the autumn of 2013 as the chain’s first China property. The Rosewood Beijing, located in the central business Chaoyang District, opposite the iconic CCTV Tower, spearheads the company’s ambitious Asia expansion plans. Rosewood Beijing is the precursor to fast-paced Asia growth for the chain, which targets having 10 additional properties in operation or in the pipeline in the region within five years.

Rosewood Beijing Exterior
Designed by Melbourne-based Bar Studio, the ultra-luxury property will employ Rosewood’s guiding Sense of Place® philosophy, through which the chain strives to “reflect and celebrate each location’s culture, history and geography,” Radha Arora, president of Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, said in a statement in which he described the property as, “Contemporary and warm, homelike and refined, energetic and serene.”

The hotel will offer more landscaped outdoor space than any other Beijing luxury hotel, with terraces, gardens and balconies integrated into the design of many of the restaurants, spa, recreational facilities, meeting and function areas. Rosewood Hotels & Resorts has engaged Bangkok-based P Landscape, acclaimed for its resort landscaping, for the exterior work.

Rooms will be laid out in a residential style, with floor plans designed to evoke the feel of luxury apartment living. At 538 square feet, the rooms will be among the largest in the Beijing, and will feature window seats, natural finishes, spacious bathrooms and walk-in closets, and what the company called “non-traditional, residential components and accessories with subtle Oriental overtones.”

Rosewood Beijing Guest Room
The Rosewood Beijing will include seven restaurants and lounges that will serve authentic international cuisines. A Chinese restaurant will feature a casual and contemporary lower floor restaurant as well as nine private dining suites on the floor above, designed for exclusivity and luxury.

The Sense® spa will be the first in Asia and will include another Rosewood first: five spa suites designed for overnight stays. Complementary recreational facilities will include an indoor swimming pool, gym and yoga studio.

Other features will include an exclusive access lounge with an open kitchen, free-standing bar, Internet corner, boardroom and outdoor terrace. The hotel will also offer almost 33,000 square feet of meeting and function space, including a ballroom of more than 8,000 square feet adjacent to an outdoor garden.

The annex to the hotel will also include a residential-style meeting and function space that will be a signature of all future Asia Rosewood properties. The Pavilion will include two combinable areas for events, with dining spaces, bar, lounges and show kitchens, all finished and accessorized as in an elegant private home.

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Photos and Renderings courtesy Rosewood Hotels & Resorts
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