Once a central character in the works of Charles Dickens and Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes novellas, Great Scotland Yard has been a London institution and since the 17th century.
Now the former police HQ will enter a new era as a luxury hotel, with room rates for top suites being vaunted for upwards of US $15,600. Also once the Ministry of Defence library, Galliard Homes purchased the lease for the large brick building and has inked a deal with Abu Dhabi-based Lulu Group International to create a 92,000 square-foot five-star hotel.
The below Google Maps result shows the location of Great Scotland Yard, which the developer splashed out $172 million for. The property will eventually be operated by Steigenberger - a German luxury hotel company founded by Albert Steigenberger in 1930.
The hotel will provide a mix of luxury bedrooms, two bars, restaurants, library, lobby/lounge and private meeting, entertaining and dining rooms complete with 24/7 concierge service. An adjoining Grade II listed Victorian townhouse will be incorporated into the hotel and used to create an entertaining suite. The hotel is scheduled to open in early 2017 and will employ 250 full time staff.
A statement from EPR Architects made back in 2012 said the original proposal maintains the facades to Great Scotland Yard and Craig’s Court and includes extensions at roof and basement level. A new roof would cover the entire building and act as a singular unifying element on a similar scale to the surrounding buildings.
So what’s behind the name? According to research done by the New York Times, the name “Scotland Yard” is derived from the buildings in the area being used to accommodate the diplomatic representatives of the then Kingdom of Scotland and occasionally Scottish kings when they visited English royalty – predating an embassy. Let’s hope you get treated like royalty at the new hotel.
Image courtesy of EPR Architects
