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UK: Flexible living operator Urban Rest has signed its first hotel in the UK, assuming management of the 14-key boutique hotel One Dorset Square in Marylebone, London.
Nicknamed “Spy Corner,” One Dorset Square served as the headquarters of the French Section of Winston Churchill’s Special Operations Executive (SOE) between 1941 and 1944. During this time, secret agents were trained before deployment in support of the French Resistance.
Now, the property will be operated on a fully automated basis by Urban Rest. It marks the group’s first hotel to be signed under the HMA model.
Izabela Szumierz, managing director EMEA and co-founder of Urban Rest, said: “One Dorset Square is a landmark moment for Urban Rest in the UK. It is our first hotel asset in the market and a building with genuine history and character. Marylebone is exactly the kind of address our corporate guests look for, and this signing shows the strength of our operational model as we scale across London.”
One Dorset Square will open for bookings in winter 2026.
Urban Rest is in active discussions for further hotel opportunities across London.
Highlights:
- Urban Rest has signed One Dorset Square in Marylebone, marking its first UK hotel and expanding the flexible living operator’s London portfolio.
- The 14-key boutique hotel will be operated on a fully automated basis under a hotel management agreement, Urban Rest’s first HMA model.
- Originally built as the headquarters of the French Section of Winston Churchill’s Special Operations Executive, One Dorset Square operated from 1941 to 1944.
- One Dorset Square is scheduled to open for bookings in late November 2026, with Urban Rest actively pursuing further hotel opportunities across London.
