Dukes London, the 85-key St James’s hotel, will reopen in Q2 2027 as Dukes London, Minor Reserve Collection, giving Minor Hotels’ new luxury soft brand its UK debut.
Minor Hotels has signed a management agreement to operate Dukes London at 35 St James’s Place. The property will join the Minor Reserve Collection, the group’s luxury soft brand launched in 2025, and will be the brand’s first hotel in the UK.
Dukes has occupied its address in London’s historic royal district since 1908. It is currently undergoing an extensive multi-year transformation led by Russell Sage Studio.
When it reopens in Q2 2027, the hotel will offer 85 redesigned rooms and suites, including 13 executive suites and five signature suites inspired by the characters and heritage of St James’s.
Dukes Bar stays open through the works
The renovation has been planned around the hotel’s best-known asset. Dukes Bar has remained open throughout and continues its tableside frozen martini ritual, which is often linked to Ian Fleming’s vision of the James Bond martini.
The Delany Drawing Room, a newer lounge and bar serving a list of 160 whiskies alongside Champagnes and cocktails, is also already trading. After the relaunch it will serve afternoon tea and host private events, using its conservatory and secluded garden.
Food will play a bigger role when the hotel reopens. Dukes London will introduce a new restaurant in partnership with The Wolseley Hospitality Group, which is owned by Minor Hotels.
A partnership that has moved from Dubai to London
The agreement extends Minor Hotels’ relationship with Seven Tides, a holding company with an established presence in Dubai and London. The two already work together on several UAE hospitality assets, and Dukes London is their first hotel project together in Europe.
“Bringing Minor Reserve Collection to the UK through Dukes London is a defining moment for the brand,” said William E. Heinecke, Chairman and Founder of Minor International, the parent company of Minor Hotels.
Lema Yazigi, Senior Director of Development, Middle East and Africa at Minor Hotels, called the signing “another great milestone” on LinkedIn, noting that the Seven Tides partnership has now expanded from the UAE to Europe.
Keeping the team that keeps the character
For hospitality HR leaders, the most telling detail is how both partners talk about the people already running the hotel.
Ghanim Bin Sulayem, Group CEO and Managing Director of Seven Tides, credited the Dukes London team’s “outstanding contribution” with preserving the property’s character and service standards.
Moving a heritage hotel onto a global operator’s platform while its bar keeps trading is as much a people exercise as a design project. The soft-brand model depends on it: owners are promised that their hotel keeps its identity, and that identity sits largely with long-serving staff and the service rituals they carry.
Why Dukes London matters for the Minor Reserve Collection
Dukes London is the third hotel named for the collection, alongside Hotel Palace Portorož in Slovenia, which relaunches in the first quarter of 2027, and Aventora Resort Baía Formosa in Brazil, due to open in 2028.
The brand is designed for independent hotels defined by character and heritage that want access to Minor Hotels’ international sales, marketing and distribution without giving up their independence.
A St James’s landmark gives the collection a high-profile anchor in one of Europe’s most competitive luxury markets, and adds to a group that now counts more than 640 hotels, resorts and branded residences in operation and development across 67 countries.
Source: Minor Hotels
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