A 1950s-style boutique hotel at the former Coventry Evening Telegraph offices will be run by a newly appointed international group.
The Corporation Street building’s developers, City developers Complex Development Projects (CDP), has selected Bespoke Hotels to run the project, which will celebrate Coventry’s famous mid-century architecture.
The company manages hotels in over 21 countries including 96 in the UK.
London’s chic Bermondsey Square Hotel, art deco themed Hotel Gotham in Manchester and the Billesley Manor Hotel in Stratford are among the group’s other hotels.
Developers say construction is planned to start at the end of the year with the aim of creating 100 bedrooms, a ground floor restaurant and bar, meeting rooms, penthouse suites and a rooftop bar.
Initial planning approval was granted by Coventry City Council on July 16.
Final approval from the council is awaited for long lease extensions necessary to deliver the project.
The building’s original features to be retained include the panelled board room and former Coventry Evening Telegraph owner Lord Iliffe’s apartment.
Around 130 jobs will be created with opening scheduled ahead of Coventry’s year as UK City of Culture in 2021.
Bespoke Hotels chairman Robin Sheppard said: “This is an iconic building charged with much recent history of the city of Coventry with a really strong tone of voice from which we hope to deliver a rich narrative with nods to the 1950s heyday of the building and a cool contemporary twist.
“This will be a destination hotel with tons of character and a cheeky smile.”
Ian Harrabin, managing director of CDP, said the securing of Bespoke Hotels underlined the national appeal of the project.
“The project is unique and we needed an operator that embraced our vision for something that will be truly Coventry,” he said.
“We took advice from national hotel experts and Bespoke was our first choice of partner.
“We have been working with them for the past six months on the detail of the project and are happy that they share our enthusiasm for Coventry and recognise the opportunity of this unique building.”
CDP has delivered creative developments such as FarGo Village and Electric Wharf.
