This month, Aberdeen debuts £333million events complex, London anticipates almost 8,000 extra hotel rooms in 2020, Grand Jersey Hotel unveils its Grand Suite conference space, and ExCeL London invests in WiFi.
P&J Live opens for business
P&J Live, the new £333million events complex, which has replaced the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre, hosted its debut event earlier this month.
The largest event complex in the north of Scotland launched by welcoming 36,000 oil and gas professionals from 130 countries, as it staged SPE Offshore Europe from 3-6 September.
P&J Live has 48,000 sqm of flexible event space and a conference capacity of up to 5,000 delegates across nine meeting rooms and three conference and exhibition halls.
At its heart is a cavernous 15,000-seat arena.
The venue also has a strong focus on sustainability and is powered by local, renewable energy sources.
Two onsite hotels make up the events complex with a third under construction.
The adjoining four-star Hilton Aberdeen TECA offers 200 rooms and a further 257 sqm of meetings space for up to 90 delegates. While Scotland’s first Aloft Hotel, the Aloft Aberdeen TECA offers a further 150 bedrooms.
London hotel openings to add almost 8,000 rooms in 2020
London’s Convention Bureau has announced that 7,995 hotel bedrooms across 65 new hotels will open next year, adding to 158,956 existing rooms.
New arrivals eagerly anticipated during 2020 include the five-star Londoner (pictured above), with 350 rooms, two luxury cinemas and a state-of-the-art ballroom in the West-end accommodating up to 864 guests; plus the Pan Pacific London, featuring a 370-capacity ballroom at One Bishopgate Plaza.
Total additions to the London hotel market across 2019 and 2020 are now expected to reach 121 hotels with 14,840 rooms. Some 10% are five-star grade, 31% four-star and 26% are budget hotels.
The range of unique and exciting new hotels will provide planners with further choice for accommodation and event venues.
Tracy Halliwell, director of tourism, conventions & major events at London & Partners said: “London is a top global destination for leisure and business travellers, and we are delighted to see a record number of new hotels and rooms opening in the capital. We’ve seen a range of exciting and cutting-edge hotels open recently like The Hoxton Southwark, The Stratford and Bankside Hotel, and we look forward to the upcoming openings."
Grand Jersey Hotel & Spa opens Grand Suite
Grand Jersey Hotel & Spa in St Helier, part of the independently-owned Hand Picked Hotels group, has unveiled its newly-refurbished Grand Suite.
The Grand Suite is the largest of eight meeting spaces within the hotel and can accommodate up to 250 delegates.
Overlooking St Aubin’s Bay, the suite features its own bar and pre-function space, ideal for reception drinks and event registrations. It complements additional events space in the hotel, including the self-contained Park Suites.
The Park Suites centre includes a mix of meeting rooms, flexible event areas and a custom-designed private cinema – all equipped with high specification technology.
Grand Jersey Hotel & Spa comprises of 123 recently refurbished bedrooms -some with sea views and balconies - as well as a health club and spa, a four AA Rosette restaurant Tassili, Victoria’s Brasserie, Champagne Lounge and a seafront Terrace with panoramic ocean views.
ExCeL London invests in improved WiFi capabilities
ExCeL London is upgrading to the latest WiFi standard and doubling the number of access points in each hall.
This significant investment will allow the venue to increase the number of concurrent users or devices to 100,000, an increase of 300%.
This upgrade in technology infrastructure will also allow ExCeL to seamlessly upgrade to Wi-Fi 6, in 2020, increasing speeds by a further 30%.
This year, ExCeL will play host to over 400 events, welcoming four million visitors to a diverse range of world leading exhibitions, corporate events and association meetings.
Jeremy Rees, CEO, ExCeL London: “The world leading events hosted at ExCeL London deserve the very latest, cutting-edge technology. We are committed to providing our customers and guests with a first-class experience, that allows them to connect seamlessly.”
By Mike Fletcher