Shangri-La to open at London Bridge Tower

Hong Kong-based hotel chain Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts is to make its first foray into Europe, opening a 195-bedroom hotel at London Bridge.

The hotel will be located in the new London Bridge Tower, a 1,016ft skyscraper known as the "shard of glass", designed by architect Renzo Piano.

The five-star hotel will take up 18 of the 70 storeys in the complex, which will also include shops, offices, restaurants, residential accommodation and public viewing galleries.

The hotel is due to open in late 2009. Twenty-five of the bedrooms will have special glass-enclosed "winter garden balconies" overlooking London.

There will also be a top-of-the-range restaurant and what the company described as a "food theatre" café, designed to "combine international cuisine with a dash of drama".

Chief executive Giovanni Angelini added: "The Shangri-La Hotel at London Bridge Tower will be a dramatic introduction of our signature Asian hospitality and style to Europe."

by Nic Paton

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