Bulgari Hotel London is due to open in Spring 2012

Legendary Italian jeweller Bulgari is to open an exclusive boutique hotel in London on the site of the former Normandie Hotel in Knightsbridge, overlooking Knightsbridge Green. Following the same - very stylish - lines as the original Bulgari hotel in Milan, the 78-room London hotel which will be run by Ritz-Carlton, promises to be a luxury affair, complete with private holistic spa, swimming pool and hydrotherapy steam rooms. Legendary designer Antonio Citterio, responsible for the Milan hotel, has come up with the interior design for the guest rooms at the Knightsbridge hotel, while architects Squire and Partners are responsible for delivery of the project. Silver is a central theme of the design, drawing on Bulgari's history with silversmiths and jewellery, and the theme influences the design of all the public spaces and bedrooms. The hotel also includes six luxury apartments, a restaurant at lower ground level with a sweeping staircase supported by a silver lit balustrade, a lounge, bar and spirit room. If that wasn't enough there's also a ballroom, private members club, business centre and meeting rooms - including a 50-seat screening room. The Bulgari joins a growing number of designer brands expanding into lifestyle hotels - Versace, Ferragamo, Christian Lacroix, Giorgio Armani, Moschino and Missoni to name a few - but Bulgari is the first to open in London, and it promises to be a jewel. Demolition has already begun on site and the completion date is expected to be in Spring 2012.