The Tower Hotel is a large hotel situated on the north bank of the River Thames, on the east side of Tower Bridge, in London.
| The Tower Hotel | |
|---|---|
 The Tower Hotel, with Tower Bridge Quay in the foreground | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Location | London, England |
| Opening | 19 September 1973 |
| Management | GLH Hotels |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 14 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Renton Howard Wood Partnership |
| Developer | Taylor Woodrow |
| Other information | |
| Number of rooms | 801 |
| Number of suites | 18 |
| Parking | 80 Spaces |
| Website | |
| The Tower Hotel | |
The hotel was designed by the Renton Howard Wood Partnership, constructed by Taylor Woodrow for owners J. Lyons & Co., and opened in September 1973 by the Constable of the Tower of London, Sir Richard Hull.[1] It was built in a Brutalist style[2] and was voted the second most hated building in London in a 2006 BBC poll.[3]
J. Lyons operated the hotel until July 1977 when it was sold for £6.5m to EMI Leisure.[1][4] In 1980, EMI Leisure properties, including the Tower Hotel, were sold to Trusthouse Forte. The hotel was later acquired by the Thistle Hotels group.
The hotel has 801 rooms, as well as 19 meeting rooms with capacity for up to 600 people. It also has a gym, restaurant, coffee bar, and licensed premises. The hotel is owned by Singapore-based GuocoLeisure which briefly shifted the hotel into a separate luxury brand called Guoman Hotels, now GLH Hotels.[5]
It is frequently used for roof top filming due to its high level view of a skyline including Tower Bridge, Tower of London and the river.[citation needed]
The nearest London Underground station is Tower Hill. Tower Gateway DLR station is also nearby.
See also
edit- Hotels in London
- Silver Jubilee Crystal Crown, mounted on the wall of the Tower Hotel
References
edit- ^ a b Bird, Peter. "Tower Hotel London". J Lyons & Co. Archived from the original on 13 March 2005. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
- ^ Astragal (16 July 2015). "Stars vie to get their hands on ugly hotel". The Architects’ Journal. Archived from the original on 10 May 2023. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
- ^ Lawyer, Gudrun (2006). "Eyesore or Icon: Colliers Wood voted London's most hated building". BBC News. Archived from the original on 6 January 2007. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
- ^ EMI Annual Report 1977, p.39. Retrieved: 4 February 2016[permanent dead link]
- ^ Ruddick, Peter (11 June 2013). "Guoman Hotels brand to be 'retired' as Guoman Hotel Management is rebranded as glh". Big Hospitality (now RestaurantOnline). Archived from the original on 10 May 2023. Retrieved 13 May 2021.