The Arora Group, Whitebridge Hospitality, an LJ Group company, and InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) announced an exclusive agreement with Heathrow Airport Limited, to develop two hotels directly connected to London Heathrow Terminal 4. The two adjoining hotels, Crowne Plaza® London – Heathrow Terminal 4 and Holiday Inn Express® London – Heathrow Terminal 4, are due to open in 2018.
The new hotels will operate under a franchise agreement with IHG and will be managed by Arora Hotels, a division of The Arora Group. The joint venture is being granted a ground lease for the 1-hectare site.
Crowne Plaza London – Heathrow T4 will feature 300 bedrooms and a range of business and meeting facilities including five meeting rooms and two boardrooms to enable guests to be at their most productive during their stay.
Meanwhile, the 450-room Holiday Inn Express London – Heathrow T4 will be a ‘next generation’ Holiday Inn Express hotel, featuring the latest technology, an Express Café and Bar and larger cosier beds.
The two hotels will be extremely well connected, located within walking distance from Heathrow’s terminals via an air bridge and with direct access to the London Underground, Heathrow Express train service and nearby motorways.
Heathrow Airport is one of the World’s leading international airports, serving 75 million air passengers annually. Terminal 4 receives 10 million passengers per year, and is the base for Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways and the SkyTeam Airline Alliance, which counts Air France, Delta Airlines, KLM, Aeroflot and China Eastern Airlines amongst its members.
Surinder Arora, Founder and Chairman of The Arora Group said:
“Following the success of the Sofitel at Terminal 5, this exciting scheme presents the second opportunity for us to work together with Heathrow Airport Limited to bring another best in class facility to Heathrow, this time in partnership with InterContinental Hotels Group. We are also delighted to have on board our other key partner, LJ Group with whom we share a common goal of launching an outstanding hotel as well as creating a long term investment opportunity.”
Andrew Williams, Chief Executive Officer of LJ Group and Chairman of Whitebridge Hospitality commented: “The T4 transaction is exceptional given its proximity and direct linkage to Heathrow Terminal 4, the branding partnership with IHG, the attractive income yield and the multiple value creation opportunities.
Robert Shepherd, Chief Development Officer, Europe, IHG said: “We’re delighted to be working with Surinder Arora and his team on another exciting development. Dual branded hotel developments are attractive for hotel investors because of the significant cost savings and operating efficiencies; and they give guests a choice of two great hotels in the one location depending on their needs. We’re confident this fantastic combination, coupled with the hotels’ great location will make these two hotels the number one choice for business and leisure guests travelling to and from London.”
Stephen Wilkinson, Heathrow Property Director said: “We are delighted to work with the Arora Group and LJ Group to enable this great new hotel at Heathrow’s Terminal 4. We are passionate about improving the quality of our facilities and services at the airport and this hotel will provide further choice, convenience and experience for our passengers.”
The construction division of The Arora Group, trading as Grove Developments will oversee the project and has already project managed the build of the 453 bedroom, luxury InterContinental® London – The O2, due to open later this year and featuring one of Europe’s largest pillar free ballrooms. This scheme also includes The Arora Tower with 100 private residences and will be connected to the O2 Arena, the world’s most visited music venue with over 8.2 million visitors per annum.
