Tower Hotel, London Explained

Hotel Name:The Tower Hotel
Location:London, England
Opening Date:19 September 1973
Developer:Taylor Woodrow
Architect:Renton Howard Wood Partnership
Operator:GLH Hotels
Number Of Rooms:801
Number Of Suites:18
Floors:14
Parking:80 Spaces
Website:The Tower Hotel

The Tower Hotel is a large hotel situated on the north bank of the River Thames, on the east side of Tower Bridge, in London.

The hotel was designed by the Renton Howard Wood Partnership, constructed by Taylor Woodrow for owners J. Lyons & Co., and opened in September 1973 by the Constable of the Tower of London, Sir Richard Hull.[1] It was built in a Brutalist style[2] and was voted the second most hated building in London in a 2006 BBC poll.[3]

J. Lyons operated the hotel until July 1977 when it was sold for £6.5m to EMI Leisure.[4] In 1980, EMI Leisure properties, including the Tower Hotel, were sold to Trusthouse Forte. The hotel was later acquired by the Thistle Hotels group.

The hotel has 801 rooms, as well as 19 meeting rooms with capacity for up to 600 people. It also has a gym, restaurant, coffee bar, and licensed premises. The hotel is ultimately owned by Singapore-based GuocoLeisure which shifted the hotel into a separate luxury brand called Guoman Hotels, now GLH Hotels.[5]

It is frequently used for roof top filming due to its high level view of a skyline including Tower Bridge, Tower of London and the river.May 2021.

The nearest London Underground station is Tower Hill. Tower Gateway DLR station is also nearby.

See also

References

51.5067°N -0.0739°W

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Bird . Peter . Tower Hotel London . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20050313205010/http://www.kzwp.com/lyons2/tower.htm . 13 March 2005 . 4 February 2016 . J Lyons & Co.
  2. Web site: Astragal . 16 July 2015 . Stars vie to get their hands on ugly hotel . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230510173855/https://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/stars-vie-to-get-their-hands-on-ugly-hotel . 10 May 2023 . 28 February 2021 . The Architects’ Journal . en.
  3. Web site: Lawyer . Gudrun . 2006 . Eyesore or Icon: Colliers Wood voted London's most hated building . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20070106033951/https://www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/articles/2006/05/25/most_hated_building_feature.shtml . 6 January 2007 . 2023-05-10 . BBC News.
  4. http://www.kronemyer.com/EMI/EMI%20Music%20AR%201977.pdf EMI Annual Report 1977
  5. News: Ruddick . Peter . 11 June 2013 . Guoman Hotels brand to be 'retired' as Guoman Hotel Management is rebranded as glh. . Big Hospitality (now RestaurantOnline) . live . limited . 13 May 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230510181257/https://www.restaurantonline.co.uk/Article/2013/06/11/Guoman-Hotel-Management-rebranded-as-glh . 10 May 2023.