Legendre UK has been appointed main contractor by Whitbread for the conversion of Phoenix House, a vacant office building opposite Vauxhall station, into a 180-bedroom Premier Inn. The 10-storey, 80,000 square foot building will retain its existing structure, with former office floorplates replaced by hotel bedrooms.

Legendre UK, headquartered on Chancery Lane in London, was established in 2015 as the UK subsidiary of French construction and real estate group Groupe Legendre, which reports annual turnover of around €930 million and employs 2,300 staff.

Whitbread plc, headquartered in Luton and listed on the London Stock Exchange, is the owner and operator of the Premier Inn hotel brand across the UK.

Phoenix House, built in the early 2000s, forms part of the St George Wharf mixed use scheme near the River Thames and was used as office space by Lambeth council between 2004 and 2019, before becoming largely vacant.

Whitbread has agreed to lead the conversion and lease the completed hotel for 30 years, with Lambeth retaining the longer term head lease on the building.

The conversion will also upgrade an existing mezzanine to create a new guest restaurant and reception area. Construction is due to begin later this year, with completion scheduled for the end of 2027.

The structural driver is retaining and adapting an existing vacant office structure for hotel use rather than demolition and rebuild, an approach Legendre said reflects its wider experience delivering complex refurbishment and conversion projects in London.

"We are delighted to be working with Whitbread to give Phoenix House a new lease of life as a Premier Inn. This is an opportunity to bring a largely vacant building back into use, taking a sustainable approach by retaining and adapting as much of the existing structure as possible," said Thomas Vandecasteele, managing director of Legendre UK.

For the sector, the Phoenix House conversion illustrates how hotel operators and contractors are targeting vacant office stock for reuse rather than pursuing new-build hotel development in central London.

Source: Building.co.uk / The Construction Index