Armani sets site on London monument for hotel

By

Dominique Muret

Published
Feb 20, 2013

After Dubai and Milan, Giorgio Armani is said to have picked London for a new luxury hotel. The designer has set his heart on Admiralty Arch, an imposing Victorian building built in 1912 in the center of London. With its semi-circular shape and three huge arches (the central one is used only by the Queen of England at official ceremonies), this national monument connects Trafalgar Square to Buckingham Palace.

According to rumors published by the London newspaper the “Daily Mail,” the designer is just about to purchase the building for a makeover into an ultra luxury hotel. The monument is currently owned by the government and used to house offices.

The newspaper reported that the project involves a one hundred room hotel, complete with royal suite, restaurants, bars and shops. Just the reconfiguration of the building alone is estimated to cost 120 million euros. The opening is scheduled for December 2015.

Admiralty Arch was put up for sale by the government of David Cameron. Its transfer has not yet been officially confirmed.