Cost guide

Indicative rates for hotel refurbishment in London, in pounds, before VAT and professional fees. Use them to sense-check a budget before you commit to it. The survey sets the real number for your building.

 

Guest rooms, per square foot

Soft refurbishment: finishes, soft furnishings and an FF&E refresh. £140 to £220 per sq ft.

Hard refurbishment: full replacement, including bathrooms. £220 to £380 per sq ft.

 

Guest rooms, per key

Soft refurbishment: £35,000 to £75,000 per key.

Hard refurbishment: £70,000 to £140,000 per key.

 

Public areas, per square foot

Reception, lobby and lounge: £280 to £500.

All-day dining and breakfast room: £280 to £450.

Bar and lounge bar: £350 to £600.

Signature restaurant: £450 to £800.

Meeting rooms and ballroom: £300 to £550.

Spa and treatment rooms: £450 to £750.

Gym: £280 to £450.

Back of house, including kitchen, laundry and plant: £180 to £320.

 

FF&E, per key

Mid-market: £8,000 to £14,000.

Upper midscale: £14,000 to £22,000.

Upscale: £22,000 to £35,000.

Upper upscale: £35,000 to £55,000.

Luxury: £55,000 to £90,000.

 

New-build benchmark

For comparison, new hotel construction in the UK, including FF&E, runs at €2,690 to €5,380 per m² from budget to luxury. That is roughly £210 to £420 per sq ft.

 

Where the gaps sit

These rates cover what was specified. The gaps sit between the lines: back of house left off the scope, corridors priced as an allowance, fire-stopping behind new finishes, snagging after handover. We price those line by line in the gap report, and see worked examples of how a budget is built.

 

Sources: Kapeti, Hotel Refurbishment and Fit-Out in London: A 2026 Guide (May 2026), London rates excluding VAT and fees. Rider Levett Bucknall, EMEA Hotels Monitor, Issue 35 (February 2025), UK construction costs per m² of gross internal area. Euro figures converted at about £0.84.