Hotel Amano, London
Bringing slick Germanic design and affordable rooms to an area usually known for sky-high rates, the Amano, which is due to open this spring, is the first international outpost of the Berlin-based hotel chain. Housed in a former office building on Covent Garden’s Drury Lane, the hotel will have 141 rooms, ranging from the super-cosy right up to luxurious suites, giving it appeal across all budgets. The Amano’s sky bar and rooftop terrace, which will host DJs at weekends, will be the big draw in the spring and summer, while the restaurant and basement bar will have a moody, dimly lit, Berlin-style vibe.
Doubles from £139; amanogroup.de/en/
Leven, Manchester
Although the rooms and lobby lounge started taking guests in late November, the Leven doesn’t fully open until spring, when its cocktail bar and huge restaurant will welcome the first diners and drinkers. Converted from an early 20th-century warehouse, it has 42 rooms, combining exposed brickwork and high ceilings with contemporary comforts, including 100% natural mattresses and Grown Alchemist bathroom treats. Conveniently located on the corner of Canal and Chorlton Streets, it is the ideal refuge after a night on the town.
Doubles from £88; liveleven.com
No 1 by Guesthouse, York
York will get a slick new address at No 1, a Grade II-listed Regency townhouse with 39 languidly elegant rooms, which opened its doors last month. Original features have been kept throughout, from the sweeping central staircase in the candlelit entrance to the fireplaces in the bedrooms and the cellar spa, once used as an air raid shelter. The buzzy bar specialises in cocktails and the restaurant’s menu is a pleasing combination of hearty pub classics and more upmarket dishes.
Doubles from £160; guesthousehotels.co.uk
The Albion, Ceredigion
From the team behind Fforest – which redefined the family camping holiday – the Albion comprises two former warehouses, set on the River Teifi. The 23 rooms and communal areas will draw on the building’s maritime history, with much of the original architecture left untouched – including some 19th-century graffiti of tall ships on the third floor. The hotel sits between Fforest’s two campsites, meaning all their facilities – including a wooden, cedar-barrel sauna and Wales’s smallest pub – are easily accessible.
Rooms from £125 B&B; coldatnight.co.uk
Virgin Hotel, Glasgow
The new Virgin Hotel is set to be Glasgow’s most talked-about opening in late spring. Situated on Clyde Street, on the banks of the River Clyde, with many of the 242 rooms boasting panoramic river views, the hotel will house the trademark Commons Club – a hip bar, restaurant and day-working space – and the Funny Library Coffee Shop, which serves up tabletop games and books alongside coffee and sweet treats. Scotland is firmly in the Virgin brand’s sights in 2022; a second hotel is set to open in Edinburgh, also in the spring.
virginhotels.com
Broadwick Soho, London
Promising to be a cross between “your eccentric godmother’s townhouse and a 70s hedonistic disco”, Broadwick Soho is the first London hotel project for renowned designer Martin Brudnizki, who’s set to bring his trademark opulent style to the 57-room townhouse. The Broadwick, which opens later this year, will also be home to a Sicilian-inspired restaurant and terrace, a wraparound rooftop lounge and bar, which will host live music and entertainment, and a classic speakeasy.
broadwicksoho.com
Gleneagles Townhouse, Edinburgh
The first outpost of one of Scotland’s most iconic hotels, the Gleneagles Townhouse aims to bring the glamour and classic style of the Perthshire original to one of Edinburgh’s most impressive former banking halls. The central hall, with glass-domed ceiling and grandiose Roman columns, will house the bar and restaurant, with a second bar on the rooftop, and 33 spacious bedrooms between. The Townhouse, which opens in March, will also have its own members’ club, and a top-notch spa with a diverse programme, including a cryotherapy chamber and infrared sauna.
gleneagles.com/townhouse
The Artist Residence, Bristol
Although officially open since November, this fifth outpost of the Artist Residence chain will be fully up and running in early 2022, when the café/bar and restaurant open their doors. Housed in a former boot factory near buzzy Cabot Circus, rooms range from the super-compact “Broom Cupboard” to suites, all decked out with contemporary art and vintage, reclaimed furniture. Downstairs, the lounge-lobby area does excellent breakfasts and all-day drinks, for a nice mix of locals and visitors.
Doubles from £95; artistresidence.co.uk
The Retreat, Elcot Park, Berkshire
Surrounded by the lush, rolling hills of the North Wessex Downs, the Retreat is housed in an 18th-century mansion, once the former home of poet Shelley. As its name suggests, the accent is on rest and recuperation, with hydrotherapy pools, sauna and steam in the spa, and an outdoor pool surrounded by private cabanas. In the evenings, guests can choose between a pan-Asian restaurant and more informal brasserie, and end (or begin) the night in the whisky tasting room. Rooms are bright and breezy, with splashes of bold colour, standalone baths and sumptuous beds.
Doubles from £180 B&B; elcotpark.com
Wildes, Chester
One to put in the diary for later this year, Wildes is set to put Chester firmly on the short-breaks map. It’s an elegantly restored Victorian building in the heart of the city’s iconic Rows. The 18 rooms will combine period touches – wooden beams, original fireplaces – with plenty of contemporary luxuries, while the restaurant will be helmed by Harry Guy, who cut his teeth with Gordon Ramsay and Simon Rogan. The cherry on the cake is the roof-top pool, with glorious views across the city rooftops; in the colder months, the hotel’s spa will be the place to relax.
Doubles from £250; wildeschester.com
• This article was amended on 20 January 2022. No 1 by Guesthouse, York contacted us after publication to say that it opened on 10 December 2021.
