Deluxe - Admiralty Arch Appoints and Welcomes Waldorf Astoria to London

The opening of Admiralty Arch WALDORF ASTORIA is due to make a significant impact on the London Luxury Hotel Market

WALDORF ASTORIA HOTELS & RESORTS, formerly THE WALDORF-ASTORIA COLLECTION, is a HILTON WORLDWIDE luxury hotel and resort brand. It is positioned as the flagship brand within HILTON´s portfolio, being used on hotels which offer the highest standards of facilities and service.

press release by WALDORF ASTORIA HOTELS & RESORTS

editing by Earl of Cruise

LONDON - WALDORF ASTORIA HOTELS & RESORTS has been appointed by PRIME INVESTORS CAPITAL Ltd to operate the luxury hotel within one of the capital's best-known and most prestigious monuments. Admiralty Arch WALDORF ASTORIA, London will open in 2022, following an extensive on-going refurbishment programme which will restore and protect the iconic landmark's architectural and historical features.

Admiralty Arch was commissioned by King Edward VII in memory of Queen Victoria, and was designed by Sir Aston Webb, who was also responsible for The Mall and main facade at Buckingham Palace.

Credit: © Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts

Admirality Arch

Admiralty Arch was commissioned by King Edward VII in memory of Queen Victoria, and was designed by Sir Aston Webb, who was also responsible for The Mall and main facade at Buckingham Palace. In addition to housing the official residences of the First Sea Lords, Admiralty Arch has served as a centre for clandestine wartime intelligence efforts, a Royal Navy outpost, and latterly as a centre for the UK Government's Cabinet Office. Following a rigorous and thorough official tender process Prime Investors Capital Ltd outbid 28 institutional bidders from all over the world in order to acquire the 250-year lease of the property in 2015.

Since construction of the building was completed in 1910, Admiralty Arch has hosted leading figures of state and society, from Sir Winston Churchill - whose office was based within the arch when he was First Sea Lord of the Admiralty - to author of the James Bond spy novels Ian Fleming. Situated in one of London's most prestigious addresses, Admiralty Arch offers unmatched views down The Mall to Buckingham Palace, and commanding vistas across Trafalgar Square and Nelson's Column.

Admirality Arch investor

Rafael Serrano, Chief Executive Officer, Prime Investors Capital Ltd said: "Since 2015 when we acquired Admiralty Arch from the British Government, we have made many decisions that will impact not only the future of the building and the local area, but also the profile of the very heart of London. We have appointed a team of talented experts with the experience and knowledge to capture the spirit of this magnificent building. We have created a detailed plan to transform Admiralty Arch into an extraordinary Hotel, Residences and Private Members Club. And one of the most important decisions we have made is to select and appoint the operator to whom we will entrust the management and running of this hotel. Further to interest and discussions with 12 top luxury hotel brands, we are delighted to announce the creation of Admiralty Arch Waldorf Astoria, London. The Management of PRIME INVESTORS CAPITAL Ltd and WALDORF ASTORIA hold many things in common: a commitment to enhance the heritage of this remarkable, elegant building; a determination to preserve its sense of place; and the experience needed to provide superb hospitality to discerning guests from London and around the world. As the proud owners of Admiralty Arch, we have every confidence that, together with WALDORF ASTORIA, we will ensure that this London landmark enters the next chapter of its life in safe hands and maintains its iconic standing in the capital."

WALDORF ASTORIA operator of Admiralita Arch Hotel

Christopher J. Nassetta, President & Chief Executive Officer, HILTON said: "This agreement marries the timeless elegance of WALDORF ASTORIA with the historic grandeur of one of London's great monuments. Projects of this calibre are rare, and Admiralty Arch WALDORF ASTORIA will provide a truly unforgettable hospitality experience when it opens to guests. WALDORF ASTORIA has a legacy of protecting and enhancing historical buildings, from our flagship hotel in New York, which is currently undergoing a comprehensive refurbishment to protect the art deco building for future generations, to this incredible property in London. This partnership brings our iconic luxury brand to London's finest address, and we're proud to partner with PRIME INVESTORS CAPITAL Ltd to introduce WALDORF ASTORIA to London."

Admiralty Arch WALDORF ASTORIA will include 96 spacious and luxurious hotel rooms and suites, and three world class restaurants. Plans include a rooftop bar with sweeping views across London's skyline, private meetings and event spaces, as well as a state of the art spa. Luxury private residences and an exclusive Private Members Club and other exclusive Food and Beverage components will join the hotel within Admiralty Arch.

Councillor Robert Davis MBE DL, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Business, Culture and Heritage, Westminster City Council said: "I have worked with PRIME INVESTORS CAPITAL Ltd for a number of years. First on the creation of the BVLGARI HOTEL in Knightsbridge and more recently on their extensive plans to restore and refurbish Admiralty Arch into a luxury hotel. This extraordinary project is going to make a huge impact on Central London by opening up to the public an iconic building standing at the end of The Mall and adjacent to Trafalgar Square. The outstanding team that PRIME INVESTORS CAPITAL Ltd has assembled - together with a variety of expert advisers - make me confident that PRIME INVESTORS CAPITAL Ltd has shown the commitment and the vision to ensure that this project will be an enormous success. The hotel will be an important addition to the City of Westminster as well as to London as a whole - at a time when tourism and travel is so important for our country."

What impact Brexit will have, and if there is a deal in time, hopefully! with the EU - deadline March 31st, 2019 is the big uncertainty for British economy as tourism. Anything, especially in the luxury branch of tourism will be a good thing - as the luxury travellers are not that effected by Brexit results as the mass market.

Earl of Cruise

The team - Michael Blair, David Mlinaric and Andrew Damonte

Work is already underway to sensitively restore the building's original features, and an internationally celebrated design team is in place, led by Michael Blair and David Mlinaric. Michael Blair's work includes the restoration and extension of THE RITZ, THE CONNAUGHT and CLARIDGE´s hotels. David Mlinaric's body of work includes The Royal Opera House, The Victoria & Albert Museum, The National Gallery and the British Residences in London and Paris.

Historical interiors expert Andrew Damonte completes the design team. Andrew Damonte has worked alongside David Mlinaric on the restoration of Dumfries House in Scotland for HRH The Prince of Wales.

Admiralty Arch WALDORF ASTORIA, London joins 26 WALDORF ASTORIA HOTELS & RESORTS in the world's most sought after destinations.

Comments

Ocean Liners in Movies or Films at Sea (updated Nov 2017)

For liners and the shipping companies movies and films had been a top marketing tool Movies or Films and liners at sea, had been intriguing me since I have read about in my youth in LUXUSLINER - BILDER EINER GROSSEN ZEIT by Lee Server ( THE GOLDEN AGE OF OCEAN LINERS ). But earlier, mot only since my first crossing, I was keen watching movies with liners in it, and disapointed, which was an understatement, when I realized the films have been made in a set ashore in some movie "factory". That was after my first crossing. by Earl of Cruise an essay in progress `Sabrina´, Humphrey Bogart in the office, while LIBERTÉ is sailing out of New York harbor - screenshot Ocean liners, especially those of the luxury category, had been the location of dramas, love stories, thrillers, suspense and catastrophies sinde film was born, or nearly. In this list, the most descriptions are taken from Wikipedia, as I guess no one can expect having seen all these films ... otherwise I w...

Thank You 500,000 readers

HISTORY - The CUNARD - WHITE STAR Liner rms QUEEN ELIZABETH (1938-1972)

Over years, in my early youth, the QUEEN ELIZABETH was shaping my mind for the perfect ocean liner, despite having made my first experiences with a liner onboard the HANSEATIC (1), ex EMPRESS OF SCOTLAND, ex EMPRESS OF JAPAN. When leaning at the rail of HANSEATIC entering the port, my eyes where every where and I wished to by a camera, I took all in. And when seeing the QUEEN ELIZABETH with my own eyes, the nice behaving young boy turned into a tomboy, that my grandmére was no longer able to tame ... I did draw quite a lot of looks, back then. I found, while on research, this article and thought it interesting publishing in my blog: written and published by John Sheperd at liverpoolships.org editing and comments by Earl of Cruise I ( John Shepard ) joined the CUNARD LINE in March 1962 as an Assistant Purser and sailed the QUEEN ELIZABETH throughout that year, before transferring to the Liverpool-based CARINTHIA in November, where I remained as Crew Purser for the next five...

Starting rms EMPRESS OF BRITAIN from cold

rms EMPRESS OF BRITAIN, 1930, Cold Starting Canadian Pacific Steamships Ltd., Builders: John Brown, Clydebank by Stephen Carey, editing by Earl of Cruise rms EMPRESS OF BRITAIN - own collection 1 Overview of the machinery spaces 1.1 Boiler rooms The ship is (or was) a quadruple screw Canadian Pacific liner fitted with two Scotch fire-tube boilers at 200lb/in 2 , one Johnson water-tube boiler and eight Yarrow 5-drum water-tube boilers, operating at 425lb/in 2 , 725 ° F superheated. In SI units this converts to 13.8bar saturated (198 ° C) for the Scotch boilers, and 29bar, 385 ° C superheated. At 29bar the saturated temperature is 234 ° C, so the boilers operate at 151 ° C superheat. The boilers are arranged in 2 boiler rooms, one forward and one aft, separated by oil fuel tanks. In the forward boiler room are the 2 Scotch boilers, the Johnson boiler and two Yarrow boilers. In the aft boiler room are the remaining 6 Yarrow boilers. A profi...

HISTORY - The loss of ps CONNAUGHT, flagship of GALWAY LINE

The loss of GALWAY LINE´s CONNAUGHT intrigued me after a friends sending of a copy of GALWAY ADVERTISER of Thu, Sep 15, 2016, about . Intuiged by an earlier finding about, I started a research for this article. The loss of the ps CONNAUGHT , ATLANTIC ROYAL MAIL STEAM NAVIGATION Co. or GALWAY LINE , October 8th 1860. The CONNAUGHT was launched to reverse the sliding fortunes of the J Orwell Lever’s GALWAY LINE, and had a severe blow to the company. Although the local press tried to make the most of the fact that of the 591 people on board, not one life was lost, the bad publicity soured the public towards GALWAY LINE, which was at the same time in financial trouble. by Earl of Cruise CONNAUGHT of ATLANTIC ROYAL MAIL STEAM NAVIGATION Co. or GALWAY LINE - courtsey Timothy Collins, Transatlantic Triumph and Heroic Failure: The Galway Line The ATLANTIC ROYAL MAIL STEAM NAVIGATION Co., GALLWAY LINE is one of the examples in the beginning of the Transatlantic steam age, th...

Destinations - Sicily arts and history a cruise onboard ANDREA

Because of an FB pruderie action I remembered a cruise to Sicily, its art and history showing, on board the late ANDREA. Cruise onboard ANDREA in the Mediterranean - a travel review. by Earl of Cruise The Hercules monument in Kassel, which is listed in the UNESCO Worldheritage list! Delisted by FaceBook because of his "naked butt" ... ridiculous! overbearing! hypocritic! - courtsey GRIMM HEIMAT NORDHESSEN The Hercules monument in Kassel with a naked butt. Goes not at all, found Facebook. Now tourist administratives have put on a bathing suit. No one, neither the false US, or any other pruderie should be imposed on us European. And art is ART! Wether naked or not, and the prude and/or evangikalists have to withstand it. Period! The UNESCO Worldheritage HERKULES - Source: YouTube But it was reminding me on another statue, the charioteer of Mozia, which is now on loan in the BRITISH MUSEUM . But back to the cruise on board ANDREA , now SERENISSIMA, e...

HISTORY - ts / ss BREMEN and ts / ss EUROPA

Germany’s two luxury liners, BREMEN and EUROPA , have not only played an important part in their country’s mercantile revival, but have added also an immortal chapter to the history of transatlantic travel. Copy from Shipping Wonders of the World From part 6 , published 17 March 1936 editing by Earl of Cruise ss / ts BREMEN in her early years - Source: Shipping Wonders of the World/Bundespresse Archiv The PRIDE OF A NATION - the NORDDEUTSCHER LLOYD quadruple-screw turbine express liner BREMEN . The keel of this ship was laid in June 1927. Her launch took place in August, 1928. In less than a year later, the Bremen made her first voyage to America, when she crossed the Atlantic from Cherbourg to New York in four days seventeen hours forty-two minutes, thus setting up a new record and gaining the coveted “Blue Riband”. During the passage the Bremen attained an average speed of 27.83 knots. ss / ts BREMEN in her early years - Source: W ikipedia For the pop...

HISTORY - SPIRIT OF PROGRESS the Australian luxury day express train

The Australian luxury day express train SPIRIT OF PROGRESS was the most important express train of VICTORIAN RAILWAYS , a state corporation of Victoria , and one of the most important trains in Down Under. The train is a masterpiece of ART DÉCO design from Down Under. The widely unknown train was in service from 1937 till 1986. First the SPIRIT OF PROGRESS did run from Melbourne to Albury , because of the broad gauge of VICTORIA RAILWAYS (1,600 mm). At the boarder between Victoria and New South Wales the passengers had to leave the SPIRIT OF PROGRESS and go on with their trip to Sidney on the standard gauged (1, 435 mm) train of the New South Wales Railway system. In 1962 the SPIRIT OF PROGRESS could run straight to Sydney. But was withdrawn in 1986, caused by the lack of paying passengers. by Earl of Cruise VICTORIAN RAILWAYS S Class steam locomotive 302 EDWARD HENTY trajecting the SPIRIT OF PROGRESS - courtesy © Weston Langford The late 1930's saw a new era in ...

Cruise Market - 1,81 Millionen Kreuzfahrtgäste aus Deutschland

Passagierzahlen 2015 by Earl of Cruise Der Kreuzfahrtmarkt 2015 stieg in Deutschland um 2,3% auf 1,81 Millionen Kreuzfahrtgäste auf Hochseeschiffen. Quelle: CLIA Deutschland Erstaunlich gering, auf den ersten Blick, fiel im vergangenen Jahr die Steigerung der Passagierzahlen in Deutschland aus. Es hat aber einen simplen Grund. Dem Markt fehlten Bettenkapazitäten. Die DEUTSCHLAND fiel durch den Konkurs der Eigner aus, und die beiden AIDA Neubauten aus Japan sollten eigentlich viel früher für AIDA buchbar und im Einsatz sein und Gäste über das Meer tragen. Allerdings legte der Umsatz der Kreuzfahrtgesellschaften und Anbieter um 5,7% auf rund € 2,9 Milliarden, weil die Tagesrate um 4,9% auf € 181,86 von € 173,00 in 2014 (2013 € 171,00) stieg. Bei den durchschnittlichen Reisepreisen fällt auf, dass bei Reedereien aus Deutschland durchschnittlich € 1.580,00 fällig werden, während es bei internationalen Reedereien € 1.331,00 sind. Weiter gesunken ist die durchschnitt...

Politics and Society - Prudery banns Art in the Web

FACEBOOK the biggest social media plattform has done it again. Never learned! Their prudery algorythms banned again human cultural heritages because of NUDITY ... if it wern´t that serious, it could be hilarious. Art work of Rubens in Les Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique (MRBAB), posted on the Toerisme Vlaanderen FACEBOOK site was banned because of nudity. Hilarious, as FACEBOOK got a bloody nose for the same in 2017, including being heartly ridiculed. A morality standard that suits evangical flatearthers and other victorian double moralists. by Earl of Cruise While posting this article in various groups ... all of a sudden FACEBOOK blocked me for further postings in groups where I am a member ... If this is not censorship, then what else it is? FACEBOOK’s overzealous censoring software (algorhythm) has brought the social media giant into controversy with increasing frequency, even as it faces intense criticism on another front for doing too little to prevent the...

Search This Blog

Thank You 500,000 readers