Capital & Counties Properties PLC (Capco) together with Oscar-winning actor Robert De Niro and BD Hotels has submitted a planning application for the consideration of Westminster City Council to create a visionary new 83-room luxury boutique hotel, The Wellington Hotel, in London’s Covent Garden.

The plans would see boutique hotel pioneers De Niro, Ira Drukier and Richard Born – the team behind the internationally renowned The Greenwich Hotel in New York’s Tribeca district – open their first hotel outside of the US.

Together, they have envisioned an entirely new hotel concept for Capco, bespoke for Covent Garden, which builds on their extraordinary success in Manhattan. The ambitious scheme would include luxury spa facilities, two restaurants, a deli/café and a members’ club, all of which will be built around a central courtyard conservatory.

Bounded by Wellington Street, Tavistock Street, Burleigh Street and Exeter Street, The Wellington Hotel would rejuvenate a whole block (within the Covent Garden Conservation Area), spanning six adjacent buildings, three of which are Grade II Listed. Historic façades would be retained and incorporated into the new hotel to create a new space, as successfully implemented at The Greenwich Hotel in New York.

Robert De Niro commented: “London is one of the most exciting and cosmopolitan cities in the world. It makes perfect sense to develop a hotel that represents all of that in the heart of this city in Covent Garden. The Wellington Hotel would honour the heritage of the area, while bringing the best of what we’ve done in New York to London”.

Sarah-Jane Curtis, Director of Capco Covent Garden, commented: “Robert De Niro and BD Hotels have emerged as the world’s leading luxury hoteliers, so The Wellington Hotel is a hugely exciting prospect for London which continues to see strong demand for inventive boutique retreats. This would be our first landmark hotel for the estate and a new icon for the city, continuing our commitment to enliven Covent Garden with bespoke offerings from both global and British brands”.

If the plans are approved by Westminster City Council, work would begin on the development in 2017, with construction being completed in 2019.

Since acquiring the estate 10 years ago, Capco has transformed Covent Garden into one of the most distinct and vibrant destinations in London. The estate, which comprises over one million square feet, welcomes over 40 million visitors a year and is home to iconic brands including Chanel, Dior, Balthazar and Ivy Market Grill. The world-famous SUSHISAMBA will open in Covent Garden’s Market Building later this year.

Source: Capco