Listed Westminster hotel to be converted

Dexter Moren Associates (DMA) announced it has won planning permission to convert a Westminster site into a four-star hotel that features 87 bedrooms. The hospitality design expert will now set to work on converting the Grade II listed Norfolk Plaza Hotel after it was brought in as architect and interior designer by client Kulkoni Import + Export GMBH. Together, the two groups plan to reconfigure a previously approved scheme that will now see the number of rooms increase from 80 to 87. The new hotel design will reportedly “improve the client experience” through installing modern accommodation and a refurbished lobby, which is set to “bring the design in line with current building regulations”. The hotel is located in Norfolk Square in Westminster, and within the Bayswater Conservation Area. It is surrounded by Grade II listed Edwardian buildings. DMA said that its new design would respect the history of the square and its surrounding buildings, and will “work within the envelope of the previous consent”. In addition, however, the group will rework the internal layouts to ease servicing, increase the room count and review escape requirements, including the addition of a second stairwell. The windows will be replaced with four-pane sash versions in order to match the original design of the building, while the entrance canopy and doors will also be modified to “complement the proportions of the existing facade”. The internal layout is set to be “completely reworked” to align more closely with the existing structure of the building. DMA said that the original conversion of three townhouses into a single hotel in the 1970s destroyed the original fabric of the site, but it believes the new design will “retain as much of the remaining form as possible”. Paul Wells, partner at DMA, said: “Our design respects the structure of the original three townhouses, retaining elements such as an original staircase and designing the front of house areas so the former three townhouses can still be read. “At the client’s request, we opened up the ground-floor layout to create a connected lobby and library, maximising the space and offering a strong, welcoming first impression.” He added: “This scheme further builds on our strong track record of creating deliverable hotel projects that can achieve commercial success. “We took on a scheme and through our experience, ingenuity and carefully considered design we have developed a workable layout responding to regulatory and brand requirements, whilst meeting all the client’s key requirements.”