U.S. Hotel Group To Turn London’s Iconic BT Tower Into A Hotel

21.02.2024 - 16:09 / forbes.com / John F.Kennedy / Eero Saarinen / Tyler Morse

The hotel company that developed the retro-chic TWA Hotel at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport has bought London’s iconic BT Tower, one of London’s most conspicuous buildings, from British Telecoms Group for $347 million.

MCR Hotels, the third largest hotel owner in the U.S., with a $5 billion portfolio of 150 properties and more than 25,000 rooms across 37 states, intends to convert the former communications tower into a hotel. Though a timeline for the project has yet to be announced, one thing is certain: Every guest will get a room with a jaw-dropping view.

Located in the tony Fitzrovia neighborhood of central London, the 620-foot BT Tower (originally called the Post Office Tower) has been a landmark on the British capital’s skyline since its opening in 1965, when its primary purpose was to carry radio communications from London to the rest of the country. In addition, there were observation decks, a souvenir shop and a rotating restaurant on the 34th floor called The Top of the Tower, which made one revolution every 23 minutes.

Advances in fiber optics and mobile networks eventually rendered the tower obsolete and its antennae were removed in 2011. Today, two floors at the top of the tower continue to feature the so-called “Information Band,” a 360-degree colored LED screen that displays news across central London.

The transformation from communications landmark to hotel won’t happen in the immediate future. “We are proud to become owners and custodians of the iconic BT Tower,” says Tyler Morse, CEO and owner of MCR. “We will take our time to carefully develop proposals that respect the London landmark’s rich history and open the building for everyone to enjoy.”

A press release notes that it will take BT Group “a number of years to vacate the premises” and the developer will take “significant time for design development and engagement with local communities” before proposals are announced.

MCR has a track record of converting historically significant buildings into noteworthy hotels. In 2012, the company turned a circa-1895 seminary dormitory in New York’s Chelsea neighborhood into the award-winning High Line Hotel. And in 2019, MCR opened the TWA Hotel at JFK Airport, a reimagining of Eero Saarinen’s 1962 landmark Flight Center. The latter project received a national Architecture Award from the American Institute of Architects. MCR is currently redeveloping New York’s historic Gramercy Park Hotel—whose celebrated patrons included Humphrey Bogart, Babe Ruth and J.F.K.—with plans to reopen next year.

“We see many parallels between the TWA Hotel and the BT Tower,” says Morse. “Both are world-renowned, groundbreaking pieces of architecture. It’s been a privilege to adapt the TWA