RIU Hotels & Resorts continues to expand its line of city hotels with the opening, this Friday 28th July, of its first establishment in the United Kingdom: the Riu Plaza London Victoria. The new four-star establishment with 435 rooms is located in central London in the heart of Westminster, which is known the world over as the home of Britain’s political institutions, as well as other emblematic sites such as Buckingham Palace and Big Ben.
All Riu Plaza hotels have an outstanding location in the nerve centres of some of the world’s major cities, such as London, which is the most visited city in Europe and a popular destination for holiday, corporate and business tourism. The new Riu Plaza hotel is located just a few metres from Victoria Station, one of the busiest transport hubs in the country that is visited by around 75 million passengers each year and is just 30 minutes from Gatwick Airport thanks to the direct Gatwick Express service. Located at 1 Neathouse Place, the hotel is an ideal base for exploring the city as it is surrounded by the UK capital’s most important sights and is close to strategic transport links.
The Riu Plaza London Victoria has a contemporary minimalist design and the structure is divided into two parts: the podium and the tower. One of the most eye-catching features of the podium is the circular glass tower that houses the reception area, which is also known by the project’s creators as the “drum” and offers a warm welcome to all guests. When they arrive, customers will find themselves in a lobby with a conical dome that is flooded by natural light from above, with a spectacular hanging sculpture of organic shapes, full of colour and movement. These features create a welcoming and elegant space.
The design, which was conceived with a focus on privacy, pays special attention to the communal areas. The furniture was chosen to create small private areas all within the same space. The lobby bar offers a change of scene with a livelier atmosphere, switching calm and elegance for energy and colour.
The hotel rooms are modern and comfortable. They are decorated with contemporary wallpaper and watercolour paintings that give them a more artistic feel. Many of the modern superior suites and rooms overlook the city centre, but the most spacious rooms are located on floor -1, a common feature in UK hotels to maximise space.
As for food options, in addition to the aforementioned lobby bar, the hotel has a restaurant where guests can enjoy a full buffet breakfast in the morning, which is included in the room rate, and à la carte dinners in the evening. Guest can also use the fully equipped 24-hour fitness centre.
The twelve-storey building was originally built in the 1960s and was completely renovated in the 1990s. It has a fantastic design and quality finishes, so the most characteristic features have been maintained during the refurbishment. The interior has been completely transformed to prioritise design and comfort, as well as the latest developments in energy efficiency.
The first hotel in the Riu Plaza city line opened in 2010 in Panama, and since then the hotel chain has continued to expand to the world’s main capitals. The Riu Plaza London Victoria is the tenth hotel of this kind and joins the Riu Plaza Panama, the Riu Plaza Guadalajara in Mexico; the Riu Plaza España, which is located in the famous edificio España building; the Riu Plaza Miami Beach, Riu Plaza Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco, Riu Plaza New York Times Square and Riu Plaza Manhattan Times Square in the United States; the Riu Plaza Berlin and the Riu Plaza The Gresham Dublin. Chicago and Toronto will be the next destinations to welcome RIU’s city hotels.
