The hotel will provide a unique accommodation offering in the heart of London and be completed in time for the 2012 London Olympics.

Following extensive consultations with Westminster Council and local businesses, Criterion will remodel the existing upper floors with the new hotel being inserted over seven floors behind Trocadero’s Grade II listed facades. The first and ground floors will provide a mix of retail and entertainment along with a secure self check in for the hotel. The eighth floor will feature a destination rooftop bar and restaurant for the exclusive use of guests with views over London’s skyline.

The concept for the new pod hotel has been designed by specialist hotel & leisure designers Dexter Moren Associates (DMA). The concept will provide windowless rooms emulating the feel of a luxury cruise ship cabin. Each room will feature high quality finishes, a full size double bed, en-suite, 42” plasma with multi entertainment and wi-fi access.

“We have drawn inspiration from the latest advancements in product design such as the iPod and smart car to create a stylish and technically sophisticated room,” said Dexter Moren of DMA.

“A key objective was to design a room that provides guests with a high quality hotel experience. The lighting, temperature and even TV channels can be pre-programmed enabling every guest to have a personalized ‘pod’ experience. We wanted to create an oasis away from the bustling activity of Westminster.” added Wan Yau, Director of DMA.

Michael Hughes, Criterion Capital’s Director of Development, said “We are pleased and grateful for Westminster Councils vote of confidence in our ability to regenerate this significant Piccadilly/Leicester Square corridor ahead of the Olympics. For over 25 years the Trocadero has failed to deliver long term success and this scheme gives us the opportunity to reverse that trend. We will revitalise the Trocadero to once again become a world class leisure destination.”

Work is anticipated to start on site in 2010 and be complete by 2012.

www.dextermoren.com