Staycity Group is set to bring its boutique Wilde Aparthotel brand to Blackfriars Road, confirming plans for a 25-storey scheme a minute from Southwark Underground station.
The site at 203–208 Blackfriars Road, acquired from Swiss Life Asset Management (with JLL advising the seller), will be developed by Citygrove and designed by EPR Architects. Subject to planning, ground works are slated to begin in June 2027 with completion targeted for March 2030.
Conceived as an urban hub for short and extended stays, the tower will comprise a mix of studio and one-bed serviced apartments, each with fully equipped kitchens. A lounge, café-bar, retail unit and co-working space are planned across the ground floor and mezzanine, aiming to create an activated street presence along the Blackfriars corridor.
The move deepens Wilde’s footprint in the capital, joining existing locations in Aldgate, Covent Garden, Liverpool Street and Paddington, with an additional WC1 project in the pipeline. It also follows Staycity’s purchase of Wyvil Court in Vauxhall, taking the company’s central London development pipeline to five sites with a combined GDV of more than £800m.
Andrew Fowler, Staycity’s chief development officer, called the Southwark acquisition a milestone for the group. “This is another milestone acquisition for our central London pipeline, bringing in-house development to five London sites with a combined GDV of over £800m as we focus on larger, prime projects. It also marks a strategic entry into Southwark, one of London’s fastest-developing central boroughs.”
The Blackfriars Road address places future guests within easy reach of the South Bank and some of London’s best-known cultural draws, including Tate Modern, the National Theatre, Borough Market, the London Eye and Shakespeare’s Globe.
Staycity currently operates around 6,500 aparthotel rooms and reports a contracted pipeline of more than 4,500 additional rooms, signing roughly 2,000 keys a year across Europe for its Staycity Aparthotels and Wilde brands. The Southwark project is intended to showcase Wilde’s design-led positioning, with bespoke interiors and flexible spaces tailored to both leisure and business travellers.
By combining a prime Zone 1 location with long-stay amenities and ground-floor activation, the scheme underlines Staycity’s confidence in London’s hospitality market and its strategy of concentrating capital on larger, centrally located developments. Subject to approvals, Wilde Blackfriars would arrive in early 2030 as one of the brand’s flagship properties in the city.
Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
