Whitbread will be adding two new hotels to its existing 62-strong Marriott estate – the Victoria & Albert in Manchester and a new-build hotel in London’s St Pancras Chambers redevelopment.

Neither property will be owned or have an investment by Whitbread, although it remains the exclusive franchise operator of the Marriott hotel brand. Instead, the group has signed an operating lease with the Victoria & Albert’s owners Royal Bank of Scotland, which will be effective as of 2 March 2004.

Meanwhile, the St Pancras Chambers agreement will take the form of a management contract for the five-star Marriott hotel.

The St Pancras Marriott is currently due to open in 2008 to coincide with the completion of St Pancras station’s Channel Tunnel rail link transformation. Details: www.whitbread.co.uk