London's Grosvenor House to be rebranded as JW Marriott

Marriott’s Grosvenor House hotel in London will be rebranded as the first JW Marriott hotel in the UK in early 2008.

Following a £120m refurbishment, the hotel is set to become the largest JW Marriott in Europe and marks a big push for the brand outside the USA.

A further 11 JW-branded properties are set to open imminently and up to another 30 are in the pipeline with at least two planned for Europe, alongside others in the Middle East, Asia and Africa.

Ed Fuller, president of international lodging at Marriott, said: “It’s a very important brand globally – it’s all about approachable luxury.”

There are also plans to develop the hotel group’s mid-market brand Courtyard with new builds rather than conversions of existing hotels as has been attempted before.

“The conversions didn’t work so well, but we still hope to have between 200 and 300 units within Europe in five to 10 years,” Fuller said.

In separate news, Caterer has learned Edward Harvey the Grosvenor House’s director of food and beverage has been promoted to director of food and beverage development and design for UK, Ireland, the Middle East and Africa regions for Marriott

He will be replaced at the Grosvenor House by James Clarke, who has previously worked for Hilton.

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By Emily Manson

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