Zedwell has confirmed the conversion of 48 Coney Street as it prepares to bring its fast-growing hotel brand to York, further accelerating its expansion across the UK’s most dynamic visitor destinations.

The project will transform the prominent city-centre property into a new Zedwell hotel in the heart of York’s medieval core. Located on one of the city’s busiest pedestrian corridors, the site sits moments from landmarks including York Minster, the Shambles and the River Ouse.

The announcement follows Zedwell’s recent expansion into Oxford and marks another step in the brand’s rapidly growing national footprint as it introduces its distinctive hospitality model to major urban destinations.

Designed as a modern, tech-driven hospitality platform, Zedwell reimagines the traditional hotel experience through automation, understated elegance and a philosophy centred on doing the basics exceptionally well. Guests benefit from a fully digital journey — including self check-in kiosks, digital key access and 24/7 AI-powered WhatsApp assistance — while advanced soundproofing, purified air systems, ambient lighting and body-cushioning mattresses create calm, restorative spaces within busy city centres.

York represents a compelling next step for the brand’s growth. The city attracts nearly 9 million visitors each year, drawn by its rich heritage and cultural attractions, while visitors spent more than £249 million on hotel accommodation in York in 2025 alone, underscoring strong demand for centrally located hospitality in the historic city.

Built in 1907 and featuring a striking Grade II-listed mock-Tudor façade, 48 Coney Street forms an important part of York’s historic streetscape and commercial heritage. The redevelopment will preserve the building’s character while introducing a contemporary hospitality use designed for modern travellers, contributing to the continued regeneration of the iconic Coney Street.

The project reflects Zedwell’s innovative approach to adaptive reuse, demonstrating how historic buildings in prime city-centre locations can be revitalised for contemporary audiences. It also reinforces the brand’s commitment to sustainability and the reduction of embodied carbon through the repurposing of existing structures rather than carbon-intensive new-build developments.

Across the UK, Zedwell has established a track record of transforming obsolete and underutilised buildings — often in complex, constrained urban locations others overlook — into high-performing hospitality assets that help drive the economic vitality of local communities. Notable examples include the transformation of the Trocadero in the heart of the West End, repurposed from a former indoor theme park into Zedwell’s London flagship, and the redevelopment of a disused subterranean car park on Tottenham Court Road into England’s first underground hotel.

Halima Aziz, Head of Hotels at Criterion Hospitality, commented: “York is one of the UK’s most historic cities and a powerhouse for tourism, welcoming millions of visitors every year. It is an exceptional location for the next stage of Zedwell’s growth as we expand into destinations with strong and enduring visitor demand. With a current and committed pipeline of 9,000 rooms by 2028, York represents another important milestone in our strategy to build a scalable platform in high-demand gateway cities. Projects like this show how heritage buildings can be thoughtfully reimagined for contemporary audiences while preserving the character that makes these cities so special.”

ENDS