American Embassy in London to become luxury hotel

The American Embassy in London is poised to become a new luxury hotel, following an agreement by a Qatari real estate investment company to buy the iconic building for an undisclosed sum.

While Qatari Diar has not announced what it intends to do with the property in Grosvenor Square, Mayfair – home to the American Embassy for nearly 50 years - it is believed the Grade II-listed Modernist building will be turned into a hotel and apartments.

With a Millennium and a Marriott already situated on Grosvenor Square, hotel companies interested in the prime site location are likely to include Hyatt, InterContinental, Taj Hotels, Jumeirah, Hilton, Starwood and Rezidor.

Converting the 600-room, nine floor embassy into a luxury hotel will be a major challenge for the developers, Chelsfield Partners.  The listed status of the building, designed by American architect Eero Saarinen, will restrict any changes being made to the façade, including the giant gilded eagle which hovers above the main entrance.

It will be some time before conversion work on the building can get under way as the new US Embassy – housed within a five-acre site in Nine Elms, South London – will not be completed until at least 2017. 

Wandsworth Council, so far, has only granted outline planning permission for the new embassy, expected to cost around £500m.

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By Janet Harmer

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