At our third and most recent meeting, the NLA Hospitality Special Interest Group gathered for a behind-the-scenes tour of a recently completed hotel scheme that has adopted an alternative model for targeting longer stays. The visit offered a valuable opportunity to explore how this growing brand is translating its hybrid hospitality model into a complex redevelopment, consolidating multiple existing buildings (including several listed assets) into a single connected destination.

Delivered under a Traditional JCT contract, the scheme represents a significant investment and builds upon design standards established across the brand’s earlier projects. The approach is evolutionary rather than replicative, retaining the core brand DNA while adapting to the constraints and opportunities presented by the existing fabric. The architectural challenge alone is considerable: stitching together buildings of varying age and condition, preserving listed elements, and rationalising circulation to create a coherent operational whole.

Once complete, the property will provide a deliberate mix between traditional hotel rooms and longer-stay accommodation in the form of one- and two-bedroom apartments. These are designed to accommodate a range of guests, from short-term transient residents (2-13 days) to medium-term (14–30 days) and long-term stays extending up to a year. This flexible model reflects a wider shift in hospitality toward blended living, responding to guests who seek the autonomy of residential accommodation combined with the service and amenities traditionally offered by a hotel.

The scheme retains its hospitality use under planning, transitioning from a former mix of residential and commercial occupancy into a single hospitality-led proposition. All guests will have access to a comprehensive amenity offering, where the lines between hotel and members club are blurred. The front-of-house areas will house a restaurant and bar designed to engage both residents and the surrounding neighbourhood, forming a key part of the hospitality concept. Beneath this, the leisure and member experience deepens, with basement and lower ground levels accommodating private dining rooms, lounges, and the primary catering kitchen, while the lower basement houses the spa and gym. This layering of public and private guest spaces demonstrates how hospitality schemes are activating every level to maximise both experiential value and commercial performance.

One of the most interesting themes emerging from the visit was the balance between standardisation and adaptation. While the brand is developing a recognisable design language, each site demands bespoke solutions, particularly when working within listed buildings and constrained urban plots. Integrating heritage fabric with contemporary hospitality expectations presents both opportunity and risk, requiring close coordination between design, development, and operational teams. The continued appetite for well-designed, experience-led accommodation suggests that projects capable of blending flexibility, amenity, and strong identity remain compelling in the market.

As the NLA Hospitality Working Group continues its exploration of how hospitality shapes the city, this scheme offers a compelling case study in hybrid living, adaptive reuse, and brand-led placemaking. It demonstrates how hospitality is no longer defined solely by bedrooms and check-in desks, but by community, flexibility, and the careful orchestration of shared space.