Dulux Trade Case Study Hilton Doubletree Westminster

The spy Hue Loved Me: Dulux Trade Ultra Matt Makes Short Work of Refurb at Spooks' Favourite Hotel

The time-saving touch-in properties of Dulux Trade Ultra Matt helped keep the refurbishment of a leading London hotel that regularly welcomes Britain’s top spies, on schedule and in budget.

Contractors Pembroke & Bull were given the mission of transforming all 464 rooms and corridors in the Hilton DoubleTree Westminster. Situated adjacent to MI5 headquarters, it often plays host to members of the nation’s intelligence community.

They were supported by Dulux Trade experts who advised on products that would help them meet the design brief of creating a luxury environment that featured playful nods to their spy neighbours next door.

Low lighting, dark carpets and a palette of muted colours were used to help achieve the effect.

To avoid any glare, Dulux Trade Ultra Matt was applied to ceilings, with its near invisible touch-up properties critical to driving down costs and keeping the project on time.

The tough, hard-wearing formulation of Dulux Trade Diamond Eggshell was used to ensure high-traffic areas looked better for longer. It was applied to woodwork in corridors as well as the timber window surrounds in bedrooms.

Dulux Trade Super Grip Primer enabled existing metal suspended ceilings in corridors to be flawlessly top-coated with charcoal black Dulux Trade Vinyl Matt.

Chris Bull, co-founder of Pembroke & Bull commented:

“We used Ultra Matt for the first time on this project and were really impressed by it."

“For critical lighting it was a fantastic product. It completely eradicated any stippling effects on the bedroom ceilings."

“It meant touching up any damage or dirt marks was also a breeze, helping us get a speedier handover to other trades on each floor."

“For the high-traffic environments in the hotel, Diamond Eggshell provides the client with real peace of mind that it will last the distance and cope with the demands placed on it."

“Steve from Dulux Trade provided real expert help throughout the project in specifying products. We’ve been really impressed by all the coatings he suggested. The Super Grip primer sticks really well to whatever surface it’s applied to - allowing us to whip over the top with a standard emulsion.”

Steve Plowman, Technical Support Manager Eastern, Dulux Trade commented:

"This project has some very specific requirements from the client."

“They wanted to be quite playful with the interior to create an environment where you might imagine secret agents meeting their contacts."

“It meant they specified muted, dark colours in the bedrooms with LED lighting throughout. That obviously had the potential of throwing a lot of stippling on the ceiling but Dulux Trade Ultra Matt’s non-reflective finish completely eradicated that."

“We were delighted to support Pembroke & Bull on the project and show them the versatility and superior technical formulations of Dulux Trade products including Super Grip Primer and Diamond Eggshell.”