Canopy by Hilton Makes UK Debut In The Heart Of London’s East End

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Complete with panoramic views over the City of London, Canopy by Hilton London City echoes the spirit of one of the capital’s most vibrant, eclectic neighbourhoods

Hilton celebrates the opening of Canopy by Hilton London City, the UK’s first Canopy by Hilton hotel. Set within the multi-million-pound Minories development close to Aldgate station, the eco-conscious 340-room hotel provides the perfect base for design conscious travellers looking to immerse themselves in London’s lively East End. 

Following the opening of Canopy by Hilton Paris Trocadero earlier this year and the arrival of Canopy by Hilton Madrid Castellana, the hotel joins a growing portfolio of more than 30 lifestyle hotels across the globe – a number which is set to double in the coming years. Each hotel is inspired by its local neighbourhood and designed to give guests an authentic experience, steeped in the culture of the surrounding area.

Simon Vincent, executive vice president and president, EMEA, Hilton, said: “Canopy by Hilton continues to expand its presence across Europe with recent openings in Paris and Madrid, and we’re thrilled to be bringing the brand to London – one of the most dynamic cities in the world. With Hilton set to open 30 hotels in the UK in the next five years, Canopy by Hilton London City is a stunning new addition to Hilton’s lifestyle portfolio and symbolises our commitment to providing exceptional accommodation in the very best global destinations.”

Phil Cordell, global head, Canopy by Hilton said: “Canopy by Hilton is all about championing local neighbourhoods – and what better place for its UK debut than the vibrant East End of London. With its rich textile history and thriving arts scene, the surrounding area provides no end of inspiration for this incredible hotel, and we can’t wait to welcome guests to experience everything it has to offer.”

Neil Taylor, Chief Operating Officer, 4C Hotel Group said: “We are pleased to expand our portfolio with Hilton to open the first Canopy by Hilton hotel in the UK. Convenience and quality are at the core of our business, we carefully select hotels that are perfectly located in major key cities, so our customers have easy access to major tourist attractions. For our business travellers we ensure that our hotels are always located near key transport links. This hotel is the perfect collaboration for us, with an incredible location right in the heart of London’s buzzing East End.”

 

Locally Inspired Design

The hotel’s interior design reflects the rich culture of the area’s historic textile industry. Inspired by the Huguenot silk weavers who settled in Spitalfields in the 17th century, thoughtfully decorated guest rooms and dining spaces feature floral patterns and woven fabrics reminiscent of the techniques employed by the Huguenots. In celebration of Whitechapel’s contemporary arts scene, artwork created by neighbourhood artists adorns the public spaces throughout the hotel.

Eat. Drink. Smile.

Local inspiration continues throughout the hotel’s dining outlets. East End inspired dishes made with local, sustainable ingredients are served at the hotel's specialty restaurant Penny Squares, which takes its design inspiration from the quilting technique popular in the textile industry. Meanwhile Freedom Café, named after Freedom Press Publishing House in Whitechapel High Street, provides the perfect place to relax, work or socialise over a craft coffee or East End inspired cocktail at the heart of the hotel. Guests can also enjoy daily tastings at Freedom Café, featuring appetisers and drinks from local distilleries, craft brewers and wineries.

A must-visit, the hotel’s stunning rooftop terrace Florattica, due to open early next year, boasts uninterrupted views of St Paul’s Cathedral and the City of London, serving elegant, refined small plates and a selection of drinks against a vibrant backdrop inspired by the floral patterns of the Huguenots. 

 

Sustainably Canopy

In support of Hilton’s Travel with Purpose 2030 Goals to double its investment in social impact and cut its environmental footprint in half by 2030, the hotel, which opens with a BREEAM VERY GOOD rating – the highest possible rating for the building category – is committed to operating sustainably. Initiatives include:

• Building re-use: for both sustainable and economic benefit, two of the three buildings that comprise this hotel have been reused in construction.
• Green thinking: a green roof not only supports the City of London’s drive to create more green spaces, but also helps with passive heating, allowing the property to conserve heat without using additional energy.
• Efficient operations: a proportion of the hotel’s energy will be derived from solar panels adorning another of its rooftop spaces, whilst an intelligent Building Management System controls the use of lighting and air conditioning throughout the building, significantly reducing waste energy.
• Sustainable sleeping: guests will sleep easy on beds made from post-industrial recycled steel and wood from sustainable forests, waking up to sustainably produced bath amenities featuring recyclable packaging and filtered water served in reusable glass bottles.
• Leading with local: part of the fabric of its local neighbourhood, the hotel proudly sources the majority of food and beverage from local suppliers, celebrating community farms, craft breweries and artisanal bakeries.

We’ve Got You Covered

Guests can enjoy an array of additional amenities available at the hotel, including:

• Fully flexible meetings and events space, perfect for hosting exclusive events, high-profile meetings and intimate dinners against a stunning backdrop
• Complimentary Canopy bikes to explore the local area in the most sustainable way possible
• 24-hour fitness centre equipped with a comprehensive range of TechnoGym® cardio and strength equipment

The hotel is part of Hilton Honors, the award-winning guest-loyalty programme for Hilton’s 18 distinct hotel brands. Hilton Honors members who book directly through preferred Hilton channels have access to instant benefits including a flexible payment slider that allows members to choose nearly any combination of Points and money to book a stay, exclusive member discounts, free standard WiFi and access to the Hilton Honors mobile app.

Nightly room rates start from £249 or Hilton Honors members can redeem Points using the Points Explorer tool. All hotels offer fully flexible booking options with free changes and cancellations, with many rates giving guests flexibility to change or cancel up to 24 hours before their arrival day*.

New global treaty can spur innovations for managing plastic pollution across Asia

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·        Landmark global treaty will establish a level playing field, remove trade barriers that can pave the way for stronger legislation and implementation against plastic pollution, according to ten countries in Asia

·        Asian countries lead in plastic pollution and are critical to ensure the adoption of a negotiation mandate at UN Environment Assembly's upcoming session in February 2022

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Singapore today released its report ‘A New Treaty on Plastic Pollution: Perspectives from Asia’ that shows how a new global treaty on marine plastic pollution will benefit people, ecosystems and economies in the region, offering viable solutions for Asian countries to tackle the global plastic pollution crisis which is having pernicious impacts on the region.

The report highlights that an international framework, by establishing a level playing field and removing trade barriers, would enable Asian countries to better implement solutions such as adopting national reduction targets, introducing legislation to phase out single-use plastic products and implementing extended producer responsibility schemes.

The report, based on consultations with governments in ten countries in the region, further reveals how countries across Asia, particularly developing countries, can benefit from a new global treaty through improved access to financial resources, technical assistance, access to know-how on plastic waste management, and knowledge sharing on the methodologies for monitoring and reporting.

“Marine plastic pollution remains high despite regional efforts to address the issue. A global treaty could overcome Asia’s challenges such as a lack of data along the plastics life-cycle, knowledge gaps, insufficient monitoring, ineffective plastic waste management and lack of access to financial resources and technology. With the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA5.2) taking place in 2022, it is critical for Asian countries to actively engage in the international debate and ensure the adoption of a negotiation mandate at UNEA 5.2”, says Dr Alison Budden, Senior Policy Advisor at WWF-Singapore.

The world currently produces more than 200 million tonnes of plastic annually, with 41% of plastic waste being mismanaged as countries burn or dump their plastic trash into the environment. The top five countries that dump the most plastic in the ocean are from Asia and their share is more than half of the world’s marine plastic waste pollution.

Failure to understand and remediate the true cost of plastic will result in plastic production doubling and plastic pollution tripling by 2040.

Support is growing for a global treaty on plastic pollution with several Asian countries such as Japan, Maldives, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Timor-Leste and Viet Nam already endorsing the need for the establishment of a new UN treaty on plastic pollution to be negotiated at the fifth session of the UN Environment Assembly in February 2022.

They join more than two thirds of UN member states, over 75 businesses and 2.1 million people who have called for the same. 

"Tragically, Asia as a region is severely impacted by the plastic crisis but has an important role in the global plastic pollution crisis. While some countries across the region are still developing their position regarding a necessary global response, the report signals that many are converging on collective efforts to tackle the plastic pollution crisis, with increasing support for a new global agreement to drive innovations and systemic change throughout the life cycle of plastics,"  says Marilyn Quizon-Mercado, Regional Plastic Policy Coordinator for a WWF-Philippines-hosted initiative, ‘Asia, No Plastic in Nature’.

WWF calls on all governments to come together and endorse a globally binding agreement on plastic pollution.

PH Digicon 2021 power panel highlights embracing revolutionary technology

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Featured power panelists of the REVOLUTION: Philippine Digital Convention 2021 Day 1 Plenary Session imparted significant insights and takeaways on embracing revolutionary technology as a means to thrive and serve the shifting needs of their customers in the post-pandemic world.

Part of the power panel of the digital convention’s Plenary Session which happened last October 6 were Yasuo Suzuki, President of NTT Global Data Centers; John Harrington, Nokia Senior Vice President and Head of the Asia Pacific and Japan; Manuel V. Pangilinan, Chairman of Metro Pacific Investments Corporation, Dave West, President of Cisco Asia Pacific, Japan, and Greater China; and Nicholas Ma, Huawei Asia Pacific Enterprise Business Group Head.

Pangilinan discussed key perspectives to the delegates, along with other industry leaders in technology. He says companies nowadays are measured on sustainability and digitalization or their adaptability to technology which is “no longer a luxury but an imperative.”

“We have to persuade senior management that it’s important to adopt digital technology because you will be obsolete if you don’t do that. And values are now driven by your ability to do your digital pivot, especially if you are a publicly-listed company,” said Pangilinan.

The MPIC head, who also chairs the PLDT Group, added that businesses need to adapt to innovation to leverage the revolutionary solutions of tech companies.

“We’re seeing revolution happening across the board for businesses, so it’s our job to be able to encourage if not push them into that space. The enterprise group should provide the solutions to these companies in their pivotal switch…They need somebody to tell them what to do…,” Pangilinan noted.

Huawei executive Nicholas Ma said that as time goes on, “networks will become self-organizing, self-healing, self-optimizing, and autonomous,” allowing enterprises to access intelligent connectivity with more straightforward and secure service to organizations.

“The technology is always working for the people and the entire organization. With the revolutionary technology, we hope our customers and the people can live a simple, personalized, and secure life with ICT technology,” said Ma.

Meanwhile, Suzuki highlighted that NTT Global Data Centers is constantly looking to develop more efficient data centers while maintaining sustainability. With their long history of world-class networking products and services, he said that NTT is well-positioned to lead the industry amid the demand for additional capacity.

Likewise, Harrington noted the role of Nokia in allowing the world to act together through the use of critical networks that are secure and trusted.

He said that 5G is more than just a faster experience for consumers but is about bringing digitization, productivity, and growth to industrial sectors suffering from low growth even before the pandemic.

“Nokia’s off to a great start in terms of leadership with over 240 commercial 5G agreements,” the Nokia executive said.

For Cisco, West shared that their purpose is creating an inclusive future and building technology that allows people to be included no matter who they are, where they are, or how they work.

“Our technology is built in a way that enables people to feel included, and it is core to our cultural beliefs as a company… As we think about next-generation technology, it is providing connectivity to the unconnected, how we create technology and innovation, and how we use technologies to do the right things and provide capabilities for innovation,” West said.

The Philippine Digital Convention is the most prestigious digital thought leadership event hosted by PLDT Enterprise. Titled “REVOLUTION”, this year’s PH Digicon featured over 120 industry leaders and experts, sharing their expertise on topics such as technology predictions, industry evolution, emerging technologies, among others.

Relive the three-day convention like no other via content on demand available exclusively on phdigicon2021.com. 

For more information, visit pldtenterprise.com.

COVER PHOTO: Yasuo Suzuki, President of NTT Global Data Centers, John Harrington, Nokia Senior Vice President, Head of Asia-Pacific and Japan, Manuel V. Pangilinan, Chairman of Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC), Dave West, President of Cisco Asia Pacific, Japan, And Greater China, Nicholas Ma, President of Huawei Asia Pacific Enterprise Business Group