Famed London telecom tower to be converted into a luxury stay by the group behind NYC’s TWA Hotel

Hannah Frishberg
·2 min read
BT Tower.
BT Tower.

The BT Tower, a futuristic skyscraper and a landmark sight in the London skyline, is set to be reborn as a luxury hotel.

The 59-year-old, 620-foot-tall former UK communication network hub will be converted into high-end lodgings by MCR Hotels, which has agreed to pay the multinational telecommunications holding company BT Group $347.1 million for the spindly structure, the Wall Street Journal reported. MCR Hotels may not be a name that’s immediately known, but it’s the group that was behind the dazzling restoration of the Eero Saarinen-designed TWA Hotel at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport.

BT Group has owned and operated this London building since 1984.

The BT Tower looms over the London skyline. Getty Images
The BT Tower looms over the London skyline. Getty Images

“This deal with MCR will enable BT Tower to take on a new purpose, preserving this iconic building for decades to come,” BT Group property director Brent Matthews told the outlet.

The tower’s microwave aerials, once responsible for a good deal of the nation’s digital infrastructure, were taken out more than 10 years ago, but the transformation of the tower into an inn is still set to take years, with remaining communication equipment set to be removed progressively.

The unique obelisk, which once had a revolving restaurant at its top, has become beloved for its quirky facade, and news of its new lease on life has some fans concerned.

Communication equipment is set to be removed from the tower over the course of years. Getty Images
Communication equipment is set to be removed from the tower over the course of years. Getty Images
The TWA Hotel, which was also redeveloped by MCR Hotels, which is a popular stopping spot for passengers traveling in and out of JFK in Queens. Annie Wermiel/NY Post
The TWA Hotel, which was also redeveloped by MCR Hotels, which is a popular stopping spot for passengers traveling in and out of JFK in Queens. Annie Wermiel/NY Post

In a recent column, Guardian columnist Rowan Moore expressed concern that Thomas Heatherwick, whose eponymous studio has been tapped to adapt the space, will overly “repurpose” the building, which is “already an icon. It’s perfect. Let it be.”

Archinect reports that the design process is expected to include a period of community engagement, and MCR CEO Tyler Morse has expressed that the plan is to approach it similarly to the way the company approached the TWA Hotel, which today is more of an homage to the past than a modernized relic.

“We see many parallels between the TWA Hotel and the BT Tower,” Morse said in a statement, Archinect reported. “Both are world-renowned, groundbreaking pieces of architecture. It’s been a privilege to adapt the TWA Flight Center into new use for future generations, as it will be the BT Tower.”