Park Plaza Hotels is pleased to announce that it has successfully acquired Park Plaza Leeds and Park Plaza Nottingham. Until this acquisition both hotels were operated under management agreements.

This new development further strengthens Park Plaza Hotels’ market position as owner and operator of contemporary city centre hotels, which are known for offering real value to customers. The company intends to invest in both properties to further build on their success. Boris Ivesha, Park Plaza Hotels’ President & CEO comments: “We are very pleased to add these two landmark hotels to our portfolio of contemporary hotels in city centre locations and are excited about the long term prospects both hotels offer. Having operated both of these hotels since opening, we are very familiar with them and we will continue to build on their strengths. Renovation programmes for both hotels will be planned shortly.”

Park Plaza Leeds

Leeds is the 3rd largest city in the United Kingdom and the country’s largest centre for business, legal and financial services outside of London. Park Plaza Leeds is located on city square, opposite Leeds Railway Station, and is within walking distance of local businesses, shopping centres and tourist attractions. The hotel offers 185 spacious guestrooms and suites and is home of the multiple award-winning Chino Latino Restaurant & Bar (a Pan-Asian restaurant which mixes contemporary Asian food with Latin cocktails). Other hotel facilities include Scene! Bar, 11 flexible meeting rooms with space for up to 140 delegates, a fully equipped gym and business centre. Park Plaza Leeds opened in 2003.

Park Plaza Nottingham

Famed for its links with the Robin Hood legend and a history of lace-making and bicycle industries, Nottingham is today best known for its excellent offering of shops, restaurants and bars. Park Plaza Nottingham is located in the city centre, close to all local businesses and within walking distance of the city’s most popular attractions including Nottingham Castle, the Lace Market, sporting venues, Trent FM Arena and numerous shops and restaurants. The hotel offers 178 spacious guestrooms & suites, and houses the inaugural Chino Latino Restaurant & Bar. Based upon the success of Chino Latino at Park Plaza Nottingham similar restaurants were opened in Leeds, London and most recently in Cologne, Germany. Other hotel facilities include The Lobby Bar, 12 flexible meeting rooms with daylight and space for up to 220 delegates, a fitness suite and business centre.

Park Plaza Hotels’ portfolio in the United Kingdom extends to include 6 contemporary hotels in central London, including the newly opened flagship Park Plaza Westminster Bridge, and hotels in Belfast and Cardiff. Park Plaza Hotels’ number of rooms in operation in the United Kingdom is 2,893.  Park Plaza Hotels Limited is owner, operator and franchisor of hotels in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.  The majority of the group’s hotels operate under the Park Plaza Hotels & Resorts brand (part of Carlson Hotels Worldwide), over which the Group has exclusive rights in 56 countries in EMEA, or art’otel, a brand which the company fully owns.

High-quality interior design, striking architecture and modern facilities are an integral part of the art’otel brand experience, but the original art on display in each hotel is the main attraction.

For the new art’otel Cologne, Park Plaza Hotels worked with the Korean-born artist SEO to create a truly unique hotel experience. SEO, a former master class student of Georg Baselitz (of whom original works are on display at art’otel berlin mitte), has created bespoke large-scale paintings mainly consisting of coloured rice paper torn into strips, which she then used to create dramatic picturesque collages. The largest artwork is on display in the restaurant and is 12 metres wide.

The new build art’otel cologne is located in a prime position on the banks of the River Rhine, within walking distance of the city centre, and provides captivating and fabulous views of the harbour. It offers 218 guestrooms from superior to junior suites, each fully air conditioned and features flat screen televisions with interactive channels, mini bar, telephone, laptop safe and en-suite bath or shower rooms with brightly colour painted glass windows that each replicate prestigious works from SEO.

Boris Ivesha, Park Plaza Hotels’ President and CEO, comments: “Today’s opening of art’otel cologne is the first of several new exciting art’otels opening in the next 3 years, including landmark lifestyle hotels in Amsterdam and London. Ivesha continues, “Business and Leisure travellers visiting the inspiring city of Cologne will appreciate the sophisticated design and colourful art-experience and we are convinced that Chino Latino will create a real buzz in the local restaurant and bar scene.”

art’otel cologne offers free wireless internet throughout the hotel, a top floor sauna and relaxation terrace, six fully flexible function rooms with natural daylight – accommodating up to 100 delegates – and its own river boat shuttle service, available for small events.

Most of the hotel’s windows are light pink, blue and yellow colour compositions and are in stark contrast with the hotel’s concrete interior walls. With the constantly changing daylight, the hotel’s mood and atmosphere change from shimmering to poetic.

Chino Latino, the multiple award-winning modern Pan-Asian restaurant & Latin bar concept from the United Kingdom, is certain to become a favourite among local residents and hotel guests. Chino Latino offers a distinctive menu that draws upon the delicate flavours of China, South East Asia and modern Japan. The food is carefully complemented by a cocktail menu created by our talented mixologists using only the finest and freshest ingredients.

All 218 rooms are equipped with water-saving technology, enabling the showers at art’otel cologne to be superior in terms of water usage without compromising water pressure and quality, despite using 50 percent less water than the baths of other hotels.

Intelligent processes control the operation of ventilation and cooling systems. They ensure that energy is used only when actual usage takes place. Monitoring of lighting for general areas such as entrance hallways and corridors leads to additional savings in energy. In the selection of lighting, energy-efficient and environmentally friendly fluorescent lamps and energy-saving bulbs and LEDs have been used exclusively throughout the hotel.

Other art’otels: Berlin Kudamm, Berlin City Center West, Berlin Mitte, Potsdam, Dresden, Leipzig and Budapest. art’otels in Amsterdam (2011) and London (2012) are under way.