High Court decides City of London hotel dispute

US property tycoon Stan Thomas has lost a high court battle to stop the development of a neighbouring hotel going ahead. Thomas, who spent £110m buying insurer Willis’ former HQ at 10 Trinity Square, EC3, last year, was in court trying to stop hotelier City Inn from developing one of the City’s largest hotels on the nearby Mariner House site. But City Inn today won a declaration that it does not need the consent of Thomas Enterprises for its scheme to go ahead. The US developer, who is planning his own “six-star” hotel at 10 Trinity Square, was attempting to use a 1962 covenant in its freehold to stop City Inn from developing its four-star, 602-bedroom hotel. He claimed the terms of his lease meant he had a say in the size of any redevelopment of Mariner House and in any proposed change of use.