DoubleTree hotel by Hilton London

DoubleTree, by Hilton London, is a 583-room 11-storey upscale hotel located in Pepys Street. It is one of the biggest hotels in London combining modern design with high quality facilities.

The hotel was originally known as the City Inn Tower of London, when the project was launched in 2006. It was rebranded as Mint Hotel Tower of London in November 2010 and was officially opened in December 2010. An investment of £65m was made in the hotel.

In September 2011, eight hotels owned by Mint Hotel, including the Tower of London, were sold to private equity company the Blackstone Group, owner of Hilton Worldwide.

The hotel was rebranded and reopened as DoubleTree, by Hilton London-Tower of London, in December 2011.

Unique design of the prestigious hotel

The 27,500m² H-shaped hotel was designed by Bennetts Associates. The design of the hotel is characterised by elements of transparency and versatility.

It features large floor-to-ceiling windows across all spaces, including the guest rooms, meeting rooms and restaurants. The windows provide ample daylight and striking views of the city.

High-level soundproofing has been incorporated into the building providing the guests privacy to conduct their activities.

A special feature of the hotel is the façade, which incorporates the tallest living green garden in Europe. The garden covers 1,025m² of the building and includes 184,000 single plants growing in 4,100 planting modules.

An automatic irrigation system supplies the garden with water and fertiliser. The garden is carpeted with wildflowers and includes a bee-hive made of reclaimed timber. The bees help in pollination, which is essential to keep the gardens and plants healthy.

The design of the hotel incorporates several passive and active low energy systems, reducing the overall energy consumption by 40%. The hotel has received several awards for its design, including the Future Design Award for sustainability. It has also received the New London Awards, under the Staying category.

Accommodation at DoubleTree by Hilton London

The accommodation at the hotel is provided in guest rooms, suites and accessible rooms. Guestrooms include the king guest room, queen deluxe room, queen guest room, twin deluxe room and twin guest room.

The hotel’s suites offer impressive views across the London skyline and feature separate living and sleeping areas. Included is the king atrium suite, king city suite, king junior suite and king master suite with views of the Tower of London.

Guests are offered personal services such as a welcome drink, deluxe bathroom amenities, complimentary morning newspaper and late check-out and early check-in.

All the accessible rooms of the hotel – king accessible city suite and queen accessible guest room – are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act standards. The accessible rooms have wide doorways, lowered beds and light switches, lowered sinks and mirrors, roll-in power showers and easy access handrails.

All rooms offer amenities, such as a bathroom with walk-in power shower, TV with cable, in-room computer, a work desk, free high speed internet access, coffee / tea making facilities and a laptop safe. The hotel also features a fitness centre.

Various dining facilities included

The hotel has the Skylounge, City Café, Fenchurch Lounge and Lobby Bar dining facilities.

Skylounge is a rooftop cocktail bar and restaurant offering 360-degree views of the London skyline including Tower Bridge, the Tower of London and the River Thames. It serves a range of cocktails, beers, wines and lunch and dinner menus. The Skylounge offers access to external roof terraces which feature herb gardens and green roofs.

The City Café is a destination restaurant serving British cuisine. It offers a range of dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner using fresh and seasonal ingredients.

Fenchurch Lounge is a street-level lounge and bar serving cocktails, wines, beers and sharing platters. It offers free Wi-Fi for customers.

The Lobby Bar is located under the central atrium of the hotel. It serves a variety of breakfast items such as croissants, homemade cakes, coffee and juices.

Guests can take advantage of the free Wi-Fi and also access the library for some light reading.

Meeting facilities and contractors involved in the major London hotel

The hotel houses eight meeting rooms on the first floor. The Skylounge offers another five VIP private meeting spaces. The design build contract for the hotel was awarded to Laing O’Rourke.

The structural engineer for the hotel was Buro Happold and services engineer was AECOM.

Interior designing was handled by Woods Bagot / Bennetts Associates. Skopos Design was responsible for providing soft furnishings for the hotel.

Deepdale supplied automated curtain wall and window systems. The green wall of the hotel was created by roofing specialist Rock.

SJ Eastern Carpentry and Joinery was responsible for supplying a doorset and ironmongery package for the hotel.

J S Wright was contracted to equip and fit-out the hotel with heating installations, mechanical ventilation and life safety systems.