Hospitality

Edgbaston selects Radisson as partner for on-site hotel

Images: Edgbaston

Edgbaston Stadium, home of Warwickshire County Cricket Club, has announced Radisson as its partner for an on-site hotel as more details and renderings were released of the development.

The proposed Radisson RED Birmingham Edgbaston Stadium will form part of the company’s RED four-star lifestyle brand. The hotel will feature 146 rooms, including 85 with balconies facing the Edgbaston pitch.

Eighteen of the pitch-view rooms will be fully convertible into hospitality spaces, while Level 4 of the hotel will feature a rooftop restaurant and bar with a 160-square-metre outside terrace offering panoramic views of the Birmingham skyline.

The hotel will serve as the centrepiece of a wide-ranging redevelopment of Edgbaston’s Raglan and Family Stands. The project will also incorporate a modern concourse with enhanced food and drink options and improved facilities for disabled spectators.

Today’s (Tuesday’s) announcement of the deal with Radisson comes after Edgbaston in March received a major funding boost for the redevelopment project, as the West Midlands Combined Authority approved a loan facility of up to £18m (€21.4m/$23.2m).

The funding will cover a substantial part of the redevelopment and is designed to pave the way for Edgbaston to work with other partners to secure the remaining funding, with a view for construction to begin in September 2025, subject to planning approval.

Detailed consultation with stakeholders, including residents and Warwickshire CCC members, will take place next month ahead of a planning application being submitted later in the year.

If planning approval is granted, the project is expected to be finished by spring 2027, with the hotel opening in time for the Ashes Test against Australia later that year.

Architecture illustrations have been released to show how the Radisson RED hotel would be incorporated into the new stadium design. A webinar will be hosted on August 5, with interested parties encouraged to join online to hear more about the planning application and raise questions.

Craig Flindall, chief operating officer at Edgbaston, said: “We’re delighted to partner with Radisson Hotel Group; the brand’s upscale lifestyle theme is a perfect fit for our vision of the stadium’s ambitious Masterplan project. The redevelopment will cement our position as one of the country’s few premier stadia and hotel complexes and offer a genuine destination experience for people wanting to visit Birmingham or the West Midlands.

“It’s Phase 3 of our Masterplan project to transform the stadium into a vibrant economic centre delivering lasting investment into the local community. The initial phase saw the creation of the Corkfield apartments – which were recently named regional Apartment Development of the Year – and plaza area which we now use for community events.

“And Phase 2 saw the opening of Xcelerate with Edgbaston which is a new catering and hospitality centre of excellence, operated with our catering partner Levy, which is offering great career opportunities for local people at the stadium.”

Radisson recently announced the signing of Radisson RED London Twickenham Stadium, which will open at the home of England Rugby in 2025.