Belmond (formerly Orient-Express Hotels) has signed a management agreement with Cadogan Estates Limited to operate The Cadogan.
The 64 room hotel on Sloane Street in the heart of Chelsea, which is 127 years old, will close at the end of the month for a US$48 million investment project.
The fully renovated and re-conceptualised Belmond Cadogan, Belmond’s first London property, will open in summer 2016.
The renovation will see all public areas transformed and the room number reduced to 54 to create larger suites. The interior design project will be carried out by the London office of GA Design International.
Built in 1887 in the Queen Anne style, The Cadogan has played an integral role in the social history of the Kensington and Chelsea area. The design project will draw inspiration from the architectural character of The Cadogan and surrounding neighbourhood as well as the hotel’s rich heritage.
Belmond Cadogan will also offer a new gourmet dining experience opening out onto Sloane Street with views of Cadogan Place Gardens, taking advantage of the hotel’s location at the heart of one of London’s most vibrant and affluent retail areas.
President of Belmond John M. Scott said: “With its incredible heritage, unrivalled location and contemporary classic design, Belmond Cadogan will be renowned for its understated glamour and unique character, as well as for its standards of excellence in service and hospitality.”
“We are very pleased to be working together with Cadogan Estates on what will become one of London’s foremost luxury hotels and to be partnering with an owner who shares our vision for offering authentic and one-of-a-kind luxury travel experiences.”
Chief executive of Cadogan Estates Hugh Seaborn said: “The Cadogan has a colourful history – once home to Lillie Langtry where she courted the future King of England and also the location of Oscar Wilde’s infamous arrest – and a wonderful future.
“Belmond is the perfect partner for us to preserve The Cadogan’s unique heritage, while evolving the hotel into a luxury retreat for today’s luxury traveller. It fits perfectly with Sloane Street’s international cachet and our vision and strategy for ensuring it becomes the most exclusive and luxurious shopping street in the world.”
Belmond owns and operates four other businesses within Great Britain: the Belmond British Pullman, Belmond Northern Belle and Belmond Royal Scotsman luxury rail experiences, as well as Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, a 32-key hotel and two-Michelin star restaurant in Oxfordshire.