The hotel tower project at Bavaria House, in the City of London, which is set to house Motel One’s The Cloud One brand, has suffered a fresh regulatory setback. A letter sent on 21 August 2026 to Hackney’s planning authority states that the environmental information provided in the scoping report is insufficient. The stakes are high: once completed, this 45-storey skyscraper is set to become the tallest hotel in the City of London.
416 Rooms Across 45 Storeys
The scheme involves demolishing the existing building at 13-14 Appold Street and constructing a 31,595 sqm (340,085 sq ft) tower, with 45 storeys above ground and four basement levels. The hotel component would account for 416 rooms across 26 of the 45 floors. This hunt for dense hotel real estate reflects broader pressure on the London market: Queensway Group recently secured two planning permissions for its Point A Hotels brand in the British capital.
A Decade of Land Twists and Turns
An initial permit was granted for this plot in 2016, but it has remained vacant ever since. Chinese group Giant Mind Properties Group acquired it for £64 million (around €74.8 million) in 2021, before appointing Savills and CBRE in October 2024 to market it at a guide price of £75 million (around €87.7 million). According to Green Street News, private firm Maya Capital ultimately acquired the freehold interest in 2025, for approximately £60 million (around €70.1 million).
Motel One and Its Cloud One Brand in the Frame
A website dedicated to the project indicates that Altius Real Estate is the developer, with Motel One tipped as the operator, under the Cloud One brand. The German group, which has been backed since 2025 by PAI Partners as majority shareholder, supporting its international growth, continues to roll out Cloud One across Europe, including its recently announced Nice project under the same brand.
At a glance by The Hospitality Tribune
Location: 13-14 Appold Street, City of London, on the border of the Hackney and Tower Hamlets boroughs
Scheme: demolition of Bavaria House and construction of a 45-storey tower (31,595 sqm / 340,085 sqft) with four basement levels
Hotel component: 416 guestrooms across 26 of the 45 floors, earmarked for Motel One’s Cloud One brand, developed by Altius Real Estate
Ownership: Maya Capital acquired the freehold interest from China-based Giant Mind Properties Group in 2025 for approximately £60 million (about €70 million)
Status: an Aug. 21, 2026 letter flags insufficient environmental scoping information under Regulation 15(3) of the EIA Regulations 2017; final planning consent still pending
Context: would become the tallest hotel in the City of London; The Shard (Southwark) remains the UK’s tallest hotel-containing tower, home to the 202-room Shangri-La The Shard, London
