Today’s news in brief – 7/5/25

Mar Hall Golf and Spa Resort in Scotland has reopened after a £20m refurbishment, transforming the five-star hotel into a luxury destination with 74 redesigned rooms and suites. Highlights include a new palm-canopied reception area, a private cinema, gaming and billiards rooms, and expansive spa facilities. The central hub, The Gallery, features a champagne bar and hosts afternoon teas, while dining is elevated with executive chef Tony Tapia’s seasonal menus at The Dining Room. Guests can enjoy experiences ranging from falconry to helicopter tours, while the on-site spa boasts a 20-metre pool, saunas and steam rooms.

Whitbread has acquired Dorset House in London’s Southbank, a vacant office block it will convert into a 400-room Hub by Premier Inn, its first south of the Thames. This continues Whitbread’s 2025 growth, following acquisitions in Holborn and Vauxhall. The nine-storey hotel will support the company’s goal of expanding to 125,000 bedrooms across the UK and Ireland, aligning with its sustainability pledge to power all Whitbread-owned hotels with renewable electricity from 2025. Whitbread aims to provide affordable city-centre accommodation and sees Dorset House’s location near Waterloo and cultural hotspots as ideal for both leisure and business guests.

London’s luxury hotel segment was the only class to report year-over-year RevPAR growth in Q1 2025, up around 2% despite falling average daily rates, according to CoStar data. Economy hotels saw the sharpest decline, with an 8% drop in RevPAR due to weaker occupancy and high price sensitivity among domestic travellers. Midscale hotels fared relatively better, managing modest occupancy gains to partially offset ADR losses. In several areas, midscale hotels were more competitively priced than economy hotels, prompting some consumers to trade up for better value, though this varied by submarket.

BWH Hotels has added seven UK hotels to its portfolio in Q1 2025, as part of its plan to grow to 20,000 rooms nationwide by 2029. The new properties span Best Western, WorldHotels Crafted, WorldHotels Distinctive, and Sure Hotel Collection brands, and include city hotels in Sheffield and Manchester, boutique properties in Christchurch and Cumbria, and heritage sites like the Casa Hotel in Hampshire. BWH provides independent hotels with marketing, a global loyalty scheme and booking platforms. The company positions itself as a supportive partner during challenging times for hospitality, offering flexibility across hotel tiers and brand categories.