Celebrity Sofitel opening
luxury hotel for Terminal 5
Terminal 5 Hilton hotel
New EasyHotel
Arora hotel BA deal
Yotel opening planned
T5 sofitel management announced
Heathrow's largest conference centre

Celebrity opening for Sofitel
6 July 2008

   Sir Cliff Richard formally opened the new Sofitel London Heathrow hotel during a star-studded evening attended by a galaxy of household names.
   Bruce Forsyth, Des O'Connor, Gloria Hunniford, Russ Abbot, Christopher Biggins and Bobby Davro were amongst the celebrities present to lend their support to the 605-bedroom hotel which is joined to Terminal 5 via a link-bridge.
   Sir Cliff. who unveiled a plaque in the hotel lobby, said that it was a wonderful building with a particularly stunning external approach.
   Surinder Arora, chairman of Arora International, the hotel owners, told guests that he welcomed the opportunity to share the day with 'family, friends and colleagues'.
He added that the construction schedule had been so tight that builders were still working on the site just a few hours before the gala evening.
   Former deputy prime minister John Prescott was also present.

Luxury hotel for Terminal 5
20 June 2008

   Finishing touches are being put to the Sofitel London Heathrow which is set to become one of the largest luxury airport hotels in Europe'
   Directly connected to Terminal 5 via a link-bridge, the 605-bedroom hotel is due for a phased opening between the end of the June and the end of July and it’s owners say it is “situated at the heart of one of the most strategically important locations in the UK and is destined to attract international acclaim”.
   Arora International Hotels, owners of the hotel operating under a Sofitel franchise, has aimed to bring the best expertise to coordinate the final stages of this five star luxury hotel - Albert Roux for fine dining, KCA International Designers for interiors and AVC Productions for the very latest in conference technology.
   Instantly recognisable by its five towering steel and glass atriums, they say it will become a “spectacular addition to Heathrow’s skyline” and is focusing on the concept of 'the gateway to the world' as the design inspiration with the theme of Continent and Country throughout the property.
   Antarctica will take the central focus in the hotel's reception areas with a dramatic water fountain centrepiece, cascading out from a mirrored ceiling onto floodlit ice blocks, funnelling refractive light on the surrounding surfaces. The adjoining public areas will carry through the continents theme to encompass Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas. 
   Once opened, the Sofitel London Heathrow will be home to 41 state-of-the-art meeting, event and boardroom spaces, ranging up in size to a maximum capacity of 1700 or 1300 for banquets, award ceremonies and product launches.
   Sofitel London Heathrow will offer five drinking and dining experiences encompassing a spectacle of flavours and sensations from across the world.  ‘Vivre – l’experience des saveurs’ is a dedicated live cookery restaurant for hotel guests and meetings delegates, presenting a taste bud sensation, visual excitement and an inspiring variety of theatrical offers.
    vChef consultant, Albert Roux will oversee the development and operation of the hotel’s fine dining restaurant, Brasserie Roux.  The Brasserie will offer diners the best of French regional cooking amidst a bustling, yet informal backdrop.
   In addition to Brasserie Roux and Vivre, the hotel will feature a Tea Salon with exquisite pastries and large range of speciality single estate and blended teas served by a ‘Tea Master’, and the Library Bar with its great range of cocktails as featured in some of the most ‘hip’ bars in London.

 

Terminal 5 Hilton hotel
28 January 2008

   Hilton is to open a new hotel close to Terminal 5 in 2010, the company has announced.
   The 350-room hotel will be located in Poyle and will be run under a 20-year franchise by Shiva Hotels.
   John Philip, regional vice-president of operations at Hilton, said: 'The Heathrow deal takes total capital committed to the development of the Hilton brand in London to more than £250m in the past two years, putting us well on track to double the UK and Ireland estate to 150 hotels in the next five to 10 years.'
    Hilton already has a hotel adjacent to Terminal 4.

New EasyHotel
15 October 2007

      EasyHotel, part of the group based on the EasyJet brand, is to open a hotel close to Heathrow next Spring.
      Rooms are expected to be moderately priced at around £25 a night with facilities geared towards the budget traveller.
      All 80 rooms will offer double bed with duvet, towels, air circulation system and en-suite shower room.
      The new hotel, in Brickfield Lane, Harlington, will be approximately one and half miles from the entrance to the airport’s central area and will offer a free shuttle bus for clients.

Arora Hotel BA deal
17 August 2007

    British Airways has signed a new five year deal with Arora International for staff hotel accommodation at Heathrow.
    The agreement means the Arora International Hotel and Arora Park Hotel have retained the contract which covers accommodation for BA's longhaul cabin crew.
    "This agreement is in recogntion of the overwhelmingly postive feedback from crew members. Over the years Arora International has become regarded as a 'home away from home' for BA crew" said Steven van Herwijnen, the hotel's general manager.

Yotel autumn opening
3 August 2007

       The revolutionary capsule hotel, Yotel, is scheduled to open a development in Heathrow's Terminal 4 this Autumn.
       The design, developed by the Yo Sushi brand, has already opened in Gatwick's south terminal with reports of brisk business.
        Yotel offers two types of cabins, premium and standard, each of which Yotel says can sleep two. Both have bathrooms, room to store small bags and suitcases and hang a suit, Wi-Fi, flat screen TVs with 60 stations, radios and even 24-hour room service for light meals and drinks, including beer and wine.
        The biggest amenity in the eight premium cabins is space as well as a couch that, with the flick of a switch, becomes a double bed.
        A standard cabin costs £25 for four hours and £55 overnight. A premium cabin costs £40 for four hours and £80 overnight.

T5 Sofitel management announced
2 August 2007

      The senior management team launching Arora International Hotels’ flagship Sofitel property at London Heathrow’s Terminal 5 next year has been announced.
      The £200m Sofitel London Heathrow will be one of Europe’s largest luxury hotels with 600 bedrooms and conference facilities for as many as 2,800 people when it opens next March. It will be an integral part of the T5 development and linked to the terminal by a walk-way.
       Heading operations at the hotel will be John Donaldson as executive director. He has worked as general manager of the Arora International Gatwick hotel and was most recently sales and marketing director for the Arora Group.
       Supporting him will be Vincent Madden as hotel manager and Raj Shah as director of sales and marketing.
       Donaldson said: “We are delighted to be part of such an exciting project. Our first task is to recruit outstanding people to join us in the key functions of the hotel.”
       Madden was general manager at the Arora International Manchester hotel and Shah was most recently with Millennium & Copthorne Hotels as director of sales for London.