LuLu Group snaps up London’s Great Scotland Yard for $170m

As reported in 2013, Galliard Homes bought a lease for the grand building- and it revealed yesterday it had struck a deal with Abu Dhabi-based conglomerate Lulu Group worldwide to create a bespoke 92,000 sq/ft five-star hotel.

This is the second investment in London by LuLu Group managing director Yusuffali Massachusetts.

He is the latest Indian to plough his cash into the London property market, with more than £1billion invested over the past two years.

The deal was signed by a subsidiary – Twenty14 Holdings, which is the newly created hospitality arm of LuLu Group worldwide, focusing on acquisition and management of assets around the globe.

The glorious Edwardian red brick & stone building was the famed Scotland Yard Police Station, the original home of London’s Metropolitan Police Service which policed most of the city in the 19th century. The entity has over Dh1 billion worth of assets in the Middle East, UK and India.

Lulu Group has picked the Steigenberger Hotel Group to operate the hotel under a bespoke brand, which will be known as The Great Scotland Yard.

The company is now working on setting up its newly acquired property at Business Bay in Dubai, slated to open in October 2015 and also jointly owns the Sheraton Oman Hotel in Muscat with Al Hashar Hotels, a 230-key five-star hotel which is now under renovation. It served as the headquarters for the Metropolitan police from 1829 to 1890 and was made familiar to millions via the novels of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

“We have been actively evaluating investment opportunities that both grow our footprint and contribute to the further development of London”.

‘Our vision is to create an outstanding five-star hotel drawing on our reputation for quality and service combined with the outstanding central location, grand architecture and fascinating history of Great Scotland Yard.’.

The hotel will be operated by Steigenberger Hotel Group, which will create a new brand called The Great Scotland Yard to form part of its Signature hotels portfolio.

It was here that the famous Plaistow Marshes (1864) and Jack the Ripper (1888) crimes were investigated.

The hotel will comprise an as yet unspecified number of luxury bedrooms, as well as two bars, restaurants, a library, lobby and private meeting, entertaining and dining rooms all with 24/7 concierge service. The Scotland Yard entrance became the public entrance to the police station, and over time Scotland Yard has become internationally famous as a symbol of policing.

The hotel is scheduled to open in early 2017 and will employ 250 full time staff.

An adjoining Grade II Listed Victorian townhouse will be incorporated into the hotel and converted into an entertainment suite. It was reputed to be here that Lord Kitchener famously told first world war recruits that “your country needs you”.