Iconic London cinema to become luxury hotel
London’s most famous cinema and host of international film premiers, the Leicester Square Odeon, is to be turned into a hotel after being bought by Radission Edwardian.
There is already planning permission to develop the site into a 245-room hotel with five restaurants and 33 apartments. A two-screen cinema could be retained.
Radisson described the purchase as "another jewel in the crown" of its growing empire of 12 properties in London and two outside the capital. Director Robert Morley said: "The purchase of this site is one of the most important acquisitions for London.
"Not only will it be a landmark development for the capital but it will create upwards of 400 jobs. This is what our group is all about – investment in potential, creation of jobs and a huge vision for the future."
Radisson has not revealed how much it paid to buy the property from Irish debt company National Asset Management Agency. It said it would make significant announcements about its purchase in the coming weeks.
By Linsey McNeill
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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