In partnership with Whitbread PLC, Lazari has secured planning permission from Camden Council for a hub by Premier Inn hotel below The Brunswick Centre in Bloomsbury, supporting the central London neighbourhood’s growing hospitality sector.
The project creates a 207-bedroom hotel within an underutilised, subterranean car park beneath the Grade II listed residential and retail building. The development will be the first of its kind for Whitbread’s hub by Premier Inn brand.
A high level of sustainability is achieved through repurposing of redundant space, re-use of the existing structure to reduce the development’s embodied carbon, an energy-efficient fit out and extensive use of renewable energy to power the hotel’s operations.
The subterranean location is made possible by cutting edge lighting technology which provides a natural spectrum of light following the human circadian rhythm. It will be used to light all the hotel bedrooms, reception, and communal guest areas. Access to the hotel will be through a dedicated ground-floor entrance, leading guests into the unique underground space.
The development requires a floor of the existing double-storey basement car park to be lowered to create the necessary floor-to-ceiling heights for the hotel. The lowered sections will remain in situ within the building resulting in substantial reductions in embodied carbon in constructing the new hotel.
Plant and photovoltaic panels to power the hotel will be located on the roof of the Brunswick Centre, with any additional electricity drawn from the grid expected to be generated from renewable sources.
Nicholas Lazari, Director at Lazari, said:
“By reimagining an under-utilised car park, we are not only creating a valuable hotel space but are maintaining the architectural integrity and functionality of The Brunswick Centre. The hotel marks a new chapter in our commitment to this important heritage building, enhancing its contribution to London by boosting employment, stimulating local footfall, and encouraging additional spending in the local area.”
Jonathan Langdon, Senior Acquisition Manager for Whitbread, said:
“Whitbread has been transforming former retail and office buildings into successful Premier Inn and hub by Premier Inn hotels for close to twenty years. Working closely with Lazari, we have applied this experience and new exciting lighting technology to create a new type of hotel in a superb central London location. The subterranean hotel pushes the hub by Premier Inn brand forward once again and opens a world of opportunity for us in looking at the possibilities of converting unused, underutilised, and hidden spaces into successful budget hotels.”
Lazari has owned the Brunswick Centre since 2014. The eight-storey building, with 408 homes above a public shopping centre and a central outdoor plaza, was completed in 1972 and Grade II listed in 2000. Its array of shops, bars, restaurants and a Curzon cinema already attract millions of visitors every year and investment in the new hotel is expected to take footfall to in excess of 8 million.
Construction is due to commence by end of 2025 and with completion due by 2027.
