GMI to start work on 140-bedroom Dakota hotel in medieval York

Main works will begin on a 140-bedroom Dakota hotel inside York’s medieval city walls, and GMI Construction plans completion for spring 2028. The Leeds contractor delivers the eight-storey scheme for Evans Property Group on Rougier Street.

Demolition of the former Northern House office block is complete, clearing the way for the new hotel on the constrained 0.7-acre site.

What changes at the Rougier Street site?

Completed demolition marks the transition to GMI’s main works. The contractor must now fit 140 bedrooms and an eight-storey structure onto a compact plot bounded by neighbouring buildings and shaped by York’s historic character. Spring 2028 provides the completion target.

Ed Weston, GMI’s regional director for Yorkshire, said: “This is a highly prominent and constrained city-centre site, surrounded by neighbouring buildings and shaped by York’s historic character. With the demolition phase now complete, our focus is on progressing the new hotel.”

For GMI, the 0.7-acre area makes access, work sequencing and the interface with neighbouring buildings central delivery considerations. The project team must resolve those constraints alongside 140 bedrooms, an eight-storey structure and a spring 2028 completion target.

How does KPP Architects shape the scheme?

KPP Architects designed the hotel with red-brick façades and bronze-effect detailing. The scheme includes a courtyard, a brasserie-style grill and a feature bar. Terraces will offer views across the city, and the hotel will have access from both Rougier Street and Tanners Moat.

For GMI and KPP Architects, the courtyard, two access routes and terraces create more interfaces to coordinate than the 140-room count alone suggests. Each element requires construction coordination on the same 0.7-acre plot.

What sits behind the BREEAM Excellent target?

The scheme targets BREEAM Excellent. Air source heat pumps will provide lower-carbon heating, and electric vehicle charging points sit alongside them in the sustainability package. These specified measures move the target into building services and infrastructure, where installation must fit the constrained construction sequence.

What does the sixth Dakota job mean for GMI?

The York hotel is GMI’s sixth Dakota hotel. It extends a relationship already built across developments in:

• Leeds
• Glasgow
• Manchester city centre
• Newcastle Quayside
• Manchester Airport

Weston said: “We will bring our understanding of the Dakota brand and the experience gained across the previous five hotels to deliver a distinctive new destination for York.”

The sixth-hotel sequence now moves from experience on five developments to delivery in York. For GMI, the next test is whether its team can deliver the eight-storey, 140-bedroom scheme on the cleared 0.7-acre site by spring 2028. The courtyard, dining and bar spaces, terraces, lower-carbon heating and charging points make coordination across the constrained plot the defining delivery task.