LONDON A historic building next to the Tower of London that was acquired last year by Singapore-based KOP Properties is to be converted into the first of a new brand of “super-luxury” hotel and residences.
The former Port of London Authority headquarters would become a 120-guestroom hotel and 37 private residential apartments under the proposal by new owners KOP and Reignwood Group, a China investment firm. The plan requires government approval, but the owners hope to begin work on the project this summer and are aiming for a 2014 opening, The Financial Times reports.
Known as 10 Trinity Square, the building—which served as the Port of London Authority headquarters for about 50 years before more recently hosting Willis Insurance—is perhaps most renowned for hosting the inaugural session of the United Nations General Assembly in 1946.
The hotel would serve as the flagship for a new luxury chain that KOP intends to open across Europe, CEO Leny Suparman says. Details about the new brand are sparse, but Suparman says it would primarily target Asian tourists.