rpa:group’s role as Project Manager, Quantity Surveyor and Principal Designer, encompassed working closely with AccorHotels and their main contractor; in order to ensure exceptional quality, cost management and timely delivery on what was a rather complex and tight site. As an already functioning hotel, the works needed to take into consideration resident guests throughout the process, with minimal disruption to them.
Each ibis Styles Hotel is unique and offers its own distinctive design. The Gloucester Road concept design drew its inspiration from the London Underground and Gloucester Road Station in particular. This theme is noticeable throughout with detailed finishes, lighting and artwork all reminiscent of the London Underground. These elements include utilising the colour schemes of the District, Circle and Piccadilly lines, quirky bespoke carpets designed to imitate rail tracks and tube lines, ‘mind the nap’ cushions and “waterloo” signs on the bathroom doors.
Another key feature of the new hotel is the ibis guest welcome programme, that eliminates the need for a check-in desk and enables staff to run the hotel via an app on mobile devices.
The phased delivery programme saw all bedrooms completed by December 2018, with public areas that included a new breakfast room, bar and lobby subsequently undertaken. The entire project was successfully completed by the end of February 2019.
The new hotel has increased the number of ibis branded hotels in the UK, with 61 ibis, 24 ibis Styles and 24 ibis budget hotels now in existence.
