Libertines' Margate hotel opening pushed back to next year
The opening of the Libertines' Margate hotel, the Albion Rooms, has been pushed back to early 2020, although its two bars are still set to open to the public at the weekend.
The English rock band, whose members include Pete Doherty and Carl Barât, will be opening the first phase of the Kent property on Saturday, including a recording studio and two bars.
The downstairs bar is called the Waste Land after the T S Eliot poem, which was written in 1921 two doors down from the Albion Rooms while Eliot was recuperating from a nervous breakdown. It will be open to the public all year round and international and local artists will be invited to perform poetry and live music and exhibit art in the space.
The upstairs bar will initially be open to the public before becoming a private bar and lounge space for the studio and residents. For the first month both bars will only be open on weekends.
Members of the Libertines will influence the theme of the seven individually decorated bedrooms, which will open alondside the restaurant in 2020. Residencies by local and guest chefs will be featured at the restaurant.
Barât said: "It might be a while before we challenge the Savoy or the Grand Budapest in the hotel stakes, but we've put a lot of love into this. Meanwhile it's a colourful and inspiring home for the Libertines and I look forward to the Albion Rooms becoming our very own Warholian Factory."
The band acquired the five-storey, 10-bedroom property at 31 Eastern Esplanade in September 2017 for £450,000 and named it after the nickname the band gave their East London flat in their early days. The group has given the former Palm Court hotel a multi-million-pound refurbishment.
Continue reading
You need to create an account to read this article. It's free and only requires a few basic details.
Already subscribed? Log In
