Marking a new dawn: Taking a step towards a greener community

30 November 2021

After years of planning and development, it was a delight for 4C Hotel Group to have The City of London’s Alderman and Sheriff, Nicholas Lyons officially opened the hotel on the 11th November, along with the Portsoken Community centre which the group has donated funds and support towards.

The City of London’s Alderman and Sheriff Nicholas Lyons Officially Open Canopy by Hilton London City and the Portsoken Community Centre

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held to mark the occasion and included speeches from the Sherrif and representation from the Canopy Brand; Harald Han, the Director of Brand Management, CHA represented the Canopy brand from USA and Beatriz Orta the General Manger of this UK hotel along with designers ACME and members of the Portsoken Liaison Group.


Alderman and Sheriff Nicholas Lyons said: “I am delighted to have opened this hotel and community centre, which will support the thriving community of residents and businesses in the area and provide a striking gateway to the City.”


The hotel opens with a BREEAM rating of ‘Very Good’. Sustainable initiatives are woven into the infrastructure and amenities of the building with a green rooftop terrace and energy saving and sustainable materials.

Bringing Communities Together

It was 2012 when 4C Hotel Group first acquired the site adjacent to Aldgate Bus Station, opposite Aldgate Underground Station. The then derelict buildings, prior offices, unoccupied for almost 15 years became a blot on the City Townscape.

4C Hotel Group had a vision to transform this key site at the south-eastern gateway to the city and provide a mixed-use development with hotel, residential and office buildings against a backdrop of public spaces in between.  The vision included keeping as much of the existing framework of the buildings on the site as possible but to transform them internally and externally into the hotel.

Creating a thriving community between residents and businesses in the area was also of primary importance and drove how the project unfolded. It was noted that this development was next door to a large Guinness Trust estate, an important and quite unique piece of social housing in the City. Thus, an engagement and consultation strategy were developed alongside a large team of technical advisors (architects, planning and transport consultants, engineers), who focused on the many engineering and other challenges the site presented. Not least were the hidden challenges of what was beneath the surface, including London’s Circle Line!

The team has worked closely with City of London officers across many departments, and almost 10 years on, we have now closed on completing the first piece of the jigsaw with the 340 room Canopy by Hilton. The residential building, providing 87 apartments is expected to be completed in 2023 along with landscaping which will transform the area behind the hotel and next to the Guinness Estate. The final piece of the jigsaw will be the development of a new office building, incorporating a new Still and Star Public House. This received planning permission at the beginning of this year and preparatory works will start early next year. With the support of the City, 4C Hotel Group acquired adjacent properties along Aldgate High Street to provide a larger state of the art building than was originally proposed.

As a result of meeting regularly with neighbours, particularly residents from the Guinness Estate, 4C Hotel Group have fostered close relations with the residents, Portsoken ward members and Alderman. Deputy Henry Jones and Councillor John Fletcher have been with us throughout the 10 years and we have been pleased with the support we have received during this time and also working with the other elected members. As a result of our contacts, we have been able to support capital improvements to the Estate (providing the funds to replace all the windows) and to the Local Primary School. 4C Hotel Group has also provided funds for social activities at Christmas and during the summer months. Last but by no means least, Directors of 4C Hotel Group have played an active role in the Aldgate Partnership and supported some of the Lord Mayor’s initiatives and campaigns, one being The Big Curry Lunch.

We are very much looking forward to the completion of the other elements of the jigsaw which will make this a striking gateway to the City. 

About 4C Hotel Group

Founded in 2010, the 4C Hotel Group is a privately-owned property development company with a portfolio of properties in key business centres and leisure hotspots across the UK, Canada, Africa and the Middle East. Headquartered in London, the 4C Hotel Group’s mission is to create sustainable, profitable growth through the delivery of positive guest experience, innovative processes, quality partnerships and a commitment to provide opportunities for personal and professional development.  To find out more visit www.4cgroup.co.uk 

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