A Royal Staycation: RED Construction Group tops out new hotel at Warwick Castle for Merlin Entertainments

RED Construction Group, the specialist main contractor, has celebrated the topping out of the Warwick Castle Hotel, the newest addition to Warwick Castle’s already impressive accommodation offering made up of Woodland Lodges, Medieval Glamping and Tower Suites. The medieval-themed holiday resort named the ‘Knight’s Village’ also features a banqueting hall, outdoor entertainment and a newly expanded bar and restaurant. The new £10.3m hotel forms a key part of Merlin Entertainment’s £16.4m investment in Warwick Castle.

RED Construction’s Special Projects team delivered the development of the two-storey hotel, which has added 60 lodge-style, themed guest rooms at Warwick Castle. The hotel has been sensitively designed by architects, The Manser Practice, to tie in with the surrounding Knight’s Village properties, consisting of a rough cast render with timber cladding and timber shingle roof tiles. The hotel is linked via an elevated walkway to the existing Knight's Village restaurant, which has also undergone an extension, with extra dining space provided by new decking adjacent to the restaurant.

The building has been constructed to achieve a BREEAM Very Good rating, and as part of the project, Merlin Entertainments planted 1,000 additional trees in the local area. The new hotel accommodation is set to boost the local economy and provide new opportunities for holidaymakers to visit and stay in Warwick.  

RED Special Projects’ completion of the Warwick Castle Accommodation development follows the team’s work on Phase One of Merlin Entertainments’ £35m LEGOLAND Woodland Village project. RED Special Projects’ works there include the creation of a large ‘Hub’ to provide a restaurant, bar, large WC facilities, and an industrial kitchen.

David Nelson at Merlin Entertainments commented: “We are delighted to have the opportunity to work with RED Special Projects again, following the team’s excellent work on our LEGOLAND Woodland Village project. The Warwick Castle Hotel is the latest of our development plans for some of our best-known leisure destinations across the country, and one which we’re very pleased to see come to fruition.

“We’d like to extend a special thanks to our neighbours and local residents, who have been supportive and understanding throughout the planning and construction processes. The new hotel will bring more visitors to Warwick, further supporting the local economy, and giving families an exciting place to stay in the heart of this historic city. The RED team has done a fantastic job, and it was a special moment to celebrate the topping out of the project with all involved.”

Nathan Farrar, Managing Director at RED Special Projects, said: “It is an honour for the RED Special Projects team to work in an area of such historic and cultural significance, and we are proud to have worked with Merlin Entertainments on yet another iconic location in their portfolio. Alongside the wider project team, we have taken specific measures to ensure that the heritage of the area is maintained, and this is a particularly unique project where the specific skills and understanding of the RED Special Projects team have proved invaluable.”

RED Special Projects benefits from its relationship with RED Construction Group, with clients having access to the company’s wider supply chain and having the flexibility to call upon the additional resource of the Group whenever necessary. Working across a wide scope of industries, RED Special Projects primarily focuses on the commercial, residential, hotel, and retail arenas. The team also has extensive expertise in specialist areas such as listed building refurbishments and structural alterations.