Hard Rock Hotel nears opening, will push Kellogg Lane investment past $100M

Article content

London’s Hard Rock Hotel is in the final stage of construction, a 164-room upscale development that will push the total investment into 100 Kellogg Lane to more than $100 million.

Article content

Article content

The hotel, located at Dundas Street and Kellogg Lane in east London, is expected to open early in 2025 and has become critical to the re-development of the old cereal factory as an entertainment destination, said Martha Leach, partner in the project.

Article content

“We’re thrilled. We feel like this is the last piece of the puzzle. The Children’s Museum will open in January and then the hotel. It’s exciting,” Leach said.

The owners of Kellogg Lane are licensed to build the hotel, the first Hard Rock Hotel in Canada, she said. “They see value in positioning this as the first in Canada. London is a music community. When they saw this site, they were keen to be involved.”

Construction began on the hotel in 2021, but supply chain and labour issues lingering after the pandemic slowed building. It’s expected to open in March or April 2025, said hotel manager Brendon Ainscow.

Building a hotel at the former cereal factory presented “unique challenges,” he said. 

“Construction is in the final stages and it’s been a long time coming,” Ainscow said. “It’s very exciting. We’re a few short months away.” 

It will be among the larger London hotels, with restaurants and bars on site, including a planned speak-easy, Ainscow said. “It will be very unique. I can say no expense was spared. It will offer something London has not seen before.”

Ainscow is working with Tourism London to ensure the hotel is marketed as a destination. Talks also are ongoing between Kellogg Lane and the nearby Gateway Casino being built at Western Fair District to establish the hotel as a preferred spot for its guests.

Article content

“They’ve been such good neighbours,” Leach said of Gateway. “They’re not building a hotel there so we’re in talks with them about honouring their loyalty program. It’s a nice synergy.”

The journey to establish the Hard Rock Hotel in London came about when Martha and her father Archie Leach – who died in September – worked with Hard Rock on a project in Michigan.

“My dad told them they have to see what we’re doing in London,” she said. “They were excited by what we’ve done here. They loved the history, the fact it was a cereal factory.”

The next phase of development for Kellogg Lane may be residential. Leach has applied to build housing on a lot near the entertainment venue.  

On Sunday, Kellogg Lane wrapped up its Merry Market event, where more than 40,000 attended the holiday festival that was held during the first three weekends in December.

“It was great. It was bustling all the time,” said Emily Barnes, special events coordinator for 100 Kellogg Lane. “There were 50 vendors every weekend and they were busy. A few said they were wiped out. We tried to offer a diverse selection.”

This was the fifth year for the Merry Market at Kellogg Lane.

ndebono@postmedia.com

Article content