Long-time friends and clients, Carnoustie Group wanted to expand their business portfolio across the world. They are already responsible for some of the larger developments in and around Delhi in addition to hotel developments across India but this time was different. Their desire to be involved in London was discussed many times after other project meetings. This culminated in the staff of IDG searching for a suitable investment property. The Abcone hotel was purchased in 2009 and whist it was in a poor state of repair, the occupancy was through the roof and the profits were considerable. Soon after the purchase, IDG were commissioned to project manage the design stages for a complete overhaul, manage the various permissions required, find a suitable contractor and to help put together the business case behind the refurbishment. During these stages, the hotel was rebranded as The Villa Kensington and this brand was woven through the design work at the hotel.



IDG provided architectural and interior design services alongside DOT to produce, in the contractors words, “the most beautiful set of drawings I’ve ever used”. Along with the technical drawings and detailed construction specifications, realistic 3D renders were produced to give the client some comfort over the final design. During the design phase, all aspects were value engineered to ensure the money was efficiently spent for the required star rating and service quality. The raise in rack rates over the previous hotel offering led to an investment payback term of just under 4 years which to us, made absolute sense. The hotel remains one of the most cost effective overnight stays in the nations capital whilst in style and quality terms, confidently standing head and shoulders above the large chains.