PALMA DE MALLORCA — Following a years-long search RIU Hotels & Resorts says it has finally found the right building for its first hotel in the UK.

Located in one of London’s top neighbourhoods, at 1 Neathouse Place right next to Victoria Station, Westminster Cathedral and Buckingham Palace, the hotel is expected to make its debut by the end of 2020 as part of the Riu Plaza urban collection.

RIU says the property will be four-star, with 350 rooms.

“Location is very important for all our hotels, but for the Riu Plaza line it is essential that we are located very close to the places of cultural and tourist interest and very well-connected,” says Luis Riu, CEO of RIU Hotels & Resorts.

“After years spent studying the best offers in the city, we are very pleased to announce this project, for which we estimate an investment of around 250 million euros to cover the purchase of the building and the refurbishment. The location is unbeatable, the building is in excellent condition and I think that in less than two years we will be able to celebrate the opening of our first hotel in London.”

London Victoria Station is the second-busiest station in the UK, after Waterloo, with an annual footfall of more than 75 million passengers using its underground, train and bus terminals.

The building was originally constructed in the 1960s and fully renovated in 1997. The future RIU hotel will keep the structure and the best aspects of the building, and the interior will be completely transformed, says Riu, with attention to design and comfort as well as the latest developments in energy efficiency and sustainable operations.

Several of the rooms will enjoy spectacular views, he adds, and the hotel will also have a bar and restaurant, and an open-air terrace.

RIU currently has six Riu Plaza hotels worldwide, as well as two undergoing construction: Riu Plaza España and a second in New York.

The first city hotel opened its doors in Panama in 2010 and, since then, it has been joined by the Riu Plaza Guadalajara hotel in Mexico, Riu Plaza Miami Beach and Riu Plaza New York Times Square in the USA, Riu Plaza Berlin in Germany and Riu Plaza The Gresham Dublin in Ireland.

The RIU Group’s expansion plan for the next five years includes a strong commitment to new destinations, especially in Asia, and large global cities where it plans to open Riu Plaza urban hotels.