There’s no denying that these transformations breathe new life into buildings that have often been vacant or underutilized for a long time. It also provides some form of public access to the building where there was previously none. Chancery Rosewood, scheduled to open in 2025 in the Eero Saarinen-designed former US Embassy on Grosvenor Square, is a case in point. Generally speaking, the only people who were able to enter the previous building were members of the public renewing their US passports, and they certainly couldn’t see the great parts. When it reopens with a new look designed by architect Sir David Chipperfield, it will house hotel rooms, five restaurants, six retail outlets and a spa.
OWO’s conversion of the Grade II-listed Edwardian Baroque Old War Offices in Whitehall into Raffles London has been one of the most high-profile hotel projects in recent years. No wonder, given the building’s historical importance and past residents including Horatio Herbert Kitchener, David Lloyd George, Winston Churchill, Anthony Eden and John Profumo. It currently has 120 rooms (from £1,100 per night) and suites, nine restaurants, three bars and a Guerlain Spa. It also includes a range of private residences serviced by Raffles. The hotel is open to the public for 10 days each year through a free heritage tour program. On other days, if a mediocre person wants to experience the hotel, he can expect to pay £30 for a club sandwich and £80 for afternoon tea (plus 15 per cent service).