Starwood founder to launch new hotel brand in London

Barry Sternlicht, who developed St Regis from one hotel into a global brand, and also founded W Hotels, is now launching Treehouse Hotels, which will open its first property in Q4 this year.

Following his development and sale of Starwood Hotels, which included the W and St Regis brands, to Marriott, Sternlicht went on to create 1 Hotels (pictured) and Baccarat Hotels & Resorts under his SH Hotels & Resorts hotel management company.

Treehouse Hotels sits under SH and has been dubbed the “little brother” of 1 Hotels. The concept will make its debut next to the BBC’s Broadcasting House on Portland Place within the former Saint Georges Hotel, a long-established property owned by Cairn Group, owner and operator of 33 hotels in the UK, including Stoke Place Hotel in Buckinghamshire.

Treehouse London will have 95 guest rooms, including 15 suites, and a penthouse restaurant and rooftop bar with 360-degree views operated by The Madera Group, an LA-based international hospitality group.

The Treehouse brand is said to be “inspiring, boho and nostalgic” and “like all hotels in Sternlicht’s portfolio, will embrace sustainable protocols”. Additional Treehouse locations will be “in the US and beyond”, according to the company.

“It’s really exciting to showcase our first property in one of the great travel markets in the world – London,” Sternlicht said. “I believe this Treehouse, with its truly sensational rooftop lounge and bar, will fill a void in the London marketplace, which is missing a hotel that revels in the fun of it all and doesn’t take itself too seriously.”

There are currently 1 Hotels in South Beach and New York, with another on the way in West Hollywood, while Baccarat Hotels & Resorts has a hotel in New York and projects under development in Doha and Bordeaux.