Ariel Hotel
The Ariel Hotel | |
---|---|
J Lyons and Co. | |
Design and construction | |
Architect(s) | Russell Diplock & Associates |
Website | |
heathrowariel |
The Ariel Hotel is a circular hotel very close to London Heathrow Airport.
The hotel was built for
According to a promotional fold-out brochure published by the hotel in March 1962, the hotel's name referenced the 1842
The brochure explained “In a sense the ‘Ariel’ is an ancestor of the great airliners… [and today] the name ‘Ariel’ is once more important in the world of flying. The Ariel Hotel, the first circular hotel in Europe, stands beside London Airport”.![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ce/Spiral_Staircase_in_Holiday_Inn_Ariel_Hotel_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1882952.jpg/220px-Spiral_Staircase_in_Holiday_Inn_Ariel_Hotel_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1882952.jpg)
The hotel was built with 185 rooms, and its doughnut design allows it to offer dedicated single-bed rooms around the inside ring,[1] an unusual feature among Heathrow hotels.[6]
It was acquired in 1978 by the Forte Group as a Posthouse, and in 2001 it was bought by Bass/Six Continents which became the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) which put it in their Holiday Inn brand. After a couple of ownership changes, in 2015 the hotel was managed by the Redefine BDL Hotels (RBH) group who continued to run it as a Holiday Inn franchise.[2] As of 2023 the hotel operates under the Best Western brand to which it transferred around 2021. It is advertised as having 184 rooms.[7]
On 15 February 2020, the hotel became a temporary quarantine centre during the COVID-19 pandemic and was closed to the general public for around a month.[8]
As of February 2024[update], the website is not accepting bookings until the end of April 2024. No explanation is provided.[7]
References
- ^ a b "Building of the month: Ariel Hotel, London Airport". c20society. July 2012. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
- ^ a b "The History of Our Hotel". Holiday Inn Ariel - Hotel Hub. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
- ^ "Ariel Hotel". London Heathrow Ariel. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
- ^ "New Ariel Hotel Nr London Airport 1961 (film clip)". British Pathe. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
- ^ "Henson & Stringfellow's Aerial Steam Carriage".
- ^ "Best Western London Heathrow Ariel". England Rover.com. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
- ^ a b "Best Western London Heathrow Ariel Hotel". Best Western Hotels & Resorts. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
- ^ "Coronavirus: Heathrow hotel closed to public and guests removed after health officials designate it as quarantine centre for infected". The Independent. 17 February 2020. Retrieved 25 February 2023.