Zedwell to open 387-room hotel at Trafalgar Square

Zedwell has been granted permission by Westminster City Council for the conversion of the Trafalgar Buildings into a 387-room hotel. 

News of the project comes after the company’s recent expansion into locations including Spitalfields, Bank, Oxford and York, as Zedwell aims to hit a target of 9,000 rooms by 2028.

The project will transform 88,000 sq ft of space at the junction of Whitehall and Northumberland Avenue. It will involve three interconnected properties including two Grade II-listed buildings from the late 19th Century and early 20th Century. 

Developers will use a retrofit-first approach to retain the existing facades and structure. The scheme includes rooms designed with acoustic insulation and purified air systems. 

Once complete, the hotel will operate using a self check-in model and will not provide on-site food or drink facilities. Existing ground-floor retail units will be retained.

By repurposing the current buildings rather than opting for a new-build, the project aims to reduce embodied carbon. The designs include energy-efficient systems to align with the sustainability objectives in the Westminster City Plan 2019 – 2040.

The site is located near the National Gallery and welcomes approximately 100,000 visitors daily.

Halima Aziz, head of hotels at Zedwell, said: “The exciting revitalisation of Trafalgar Buildings is a major milestone for Zedwell and reflects our continued focus on unlocking complex, high-profile sites in city centres.

“Trafalgar Square is one of the most culturally significant locations in the capital, and our approach has been to carefully balance heritage, sustainability and operational simplicity to deliver a scheme that is both appropriate to its setting and responsive to modern demand. Importantly, it also introduces high-quality accommodation at an accessible price point, enabling more people to stay in the centre of London and enjoy its world-class cultural offer.”