RBH Signs 212-Room Yotel London City, Its Third New Brand of 2024

RBH Hospitality Management will operate the 212-room Yotel London City on behalf of owner Legal & General, adding a third new brand to its UK portfolio in 2024.

The signing marks RBH's first Yotel-branded property. Legal & General appointed the management company directly, extending a relationship pattern in which institutional owners hand operating control to specialist third-party firms rather than brand-affiliated managers.

What does the deal change for RBH?

The appointment deepens RBH's London presence. Yotel London City is the group's second London addition this year, and its capital portfolio now spans four global brands plus independent properties across a range of service levels. The company operates more than 50 hotels across the UK chain-scale and independent sectors, from luxury properties such as Cameron House and The Municipal Hotel, Liverpool – MGallery, to midscale hotels and serviced apartments.

The Yotel signing follows RBH's recent addition of Cameron House on Loch Lomond, the luxury hotel on the Scottish lakeshore. Both deals diversify a portfolio that stretches from upper upscale to midscale and serviced apartments.

CEO David Hart framed the appeal in operational terms.

"We've managed hotels across a wide range of brands and service levels, but there's nothing else quite like Yotel in our portfolio. We know London inside out, so it's exciting to bring that experience to a brand that is doing things differently."

He also cited the brand's bold identity, unique room design and integrated technology as reasons for the addition.

Where does Hilton fit in?

Yotel London City will join the Select by Hilton portfolio. That pairing combines Yotel's brand positioning with Hilton's global distribution and its loyalty programme — a distribution channel that independent soft brands cannot match. For a 212-room city-centre property, loyalty-driven demand often stabilizes occupancy during weaker corporate travel periods.

The property's rooms are designed around how current travellers use hotels, with smart technology and compact layouts that maximize usable space. At ground level, Revolve, the hotel's restaurant and bar, functions as an all-day space for eating, drinking, working and socializing — extending revenue beyond the room and matching the lobby-as-workspace model now common across urban select-service hotels.

What is RBH's broader platform?

RBH employs more than 90 hotel specialists and has operated for over 25 years. The company works with institutional investors, private equity firms, family offices and private investors, with a stated mandate to maximize profitability and grow asset value for owners. Its brand partnerships include Accor, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Hyatt Hotels, IHG Hotels & Resorts, Marriott International, Radisson Hotel Group, Wyndham Worldwide and now Yotel.

The source does not disclose the management contract's term, the fee structure or a target opening date for the property, so the commercial terms of the Legal & General appointment remain unknown.

For RBH, the immediate task is operational: integrating a technology-forward, space-efficient brand into a portfolio built largely on conventional full-service formats.