Hotels in London are experiencing their strongest performance since the late 1990s and driving the regeneration of the city, VisitLondon has said.
Speaking at the annual Sleep: European Hotel Design event, Visit London commercial director David Hornby said the hotel industry was well-prepared to cope with the 2012 Olympic Games.
He said: “London is the number one city destination for international travel with 2006 being a record year for overseas visitors to the capital and hotels are now experiencing their strongest performance levels since the late 1990s.
“London’s growing hotel offer will meet the demands of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and improve the tourism fabric and infrastructure of the capital. Our latest London Hotel Development Monitor also shows that the capital is set for a period of sustained growth in new hotel development.”
New hotel developments are acting as a catalyst for regeneration in certain areas, he said.
“The largest developments at Stratford and King’s Cross will involve the construction of at least eight hotels and are some of the biggest regeneration projects in Europe,”
Smaller scale hotel developments at Bermondey Square and Woolwich Arsenal are also key to the regeneration of these areas, he added.
Meanwhile, the hotel developments will be complemented by improvements to the DLR, East London Railway, and Crossrail train networks as well as later weekend tube opening hours.