Major hospitality investment links student training with city centre venues
University College Birmingham (UCB) has confirmed the acquisition of two prominent spaces in Birmingham’s landmark building, The Cube, signalling the start of a major hospitality investment programme designed to strengthen practical training opportunities and create new jobs across the city.
The Birmingham College of Food, which forms part of UCB, will take over the former The Cube Hotel and the adjoining former Marco Pierre White restaurant. The sites on the 23rd, 24th and 25th floors of The Cube will be reconfigured to operate as a commercial hospitality business while providing hands‑on experience for students.
The rooftop venue will be transformed into a hotel and restaurant complex offering a total of 52 bedrooms and food and beverage services, taking advantage of the panoramic views across Birmingham. UCB says the venture will be staffed and operated to professional industry standards so students on hotel, hospitality, culinary arts, business and events management programmes can gain real‑world experience.
Citywide expansion and jobs
The Cube acquisition is the first stage of a wider programme in which UCB plans to invest more than £15 million to develop three new hospitality venues across Birmingham. The investment package will also deliver a new neighbourhood restaurant in Harborne, a new café, restaurant and bar at UCB’s Summer Row campus, and a full refurbishment of the existing Restaurant at Birmingham College of Food.
UCB states the programme will create more than 150 jobs, combining commercial staffing with student training roles. The commercial model is intended to ensure venues deliver high‑quality food and service to paying customers while simultaneously acting as live training settings for students.
- Venues acquired: Former The Cube Hotel and former Marco Pierre White restaurant.
- New openings: Neighbourhood restaurant in Harborne; café, restaurant and bar at Summer Row; refurbished Restaurant at Birmingham College of Food.
- Investment: Over £15 million across the programme; more than 150 jobs to be created.
Practical training in a commercial environment
UCB emphasises that the sites will operate as commercial businesses. Menus and guest experiences will be developed and delivered by industry professionals, enabling students to work alongside experienced staff in a fully operational setting. The institution says this approach aims to bridge classroom learning with employment‑ready skills.
For Birmingham, the scheme represents both a boost to the city’s hospitality infrastructure and an investment in workforce development. Bringing a student training element into a city‑centre, skyline venue is an unusual step: it links vocational education directly with visible, tourist‑facing hospitality offerings that can contribute to the leisure economy.
Local consequences and next steps
Residents and local businesses may see a number of immediate and longer‑term impacts. In the short term, the conversions and refurbishments will generate construction and fit‑out work. Once operational, the venues are expected to attract visitors and diners to central and neighbourhood locations, supporting wider footfall for nearby firms. For hospitality students, the opportunities to work in a rooftop hotel and a range of city venues should enhance employability and provide routes into paid roles.
UCB has framed the programme as a means to deliver “world‑class training opportunities” while offering “excellent value” to customers; however, the institution has not published a detailed timeline for opening the new Cube hotel and restaurant or for the Harborne and Summer Row outlets. Stakeholders and prospective employees will be watching for planning updates, recruitment drives and the phased roll‑out of the venues.
| Element | Detail |
|---|---|
| Acquired sites | Former The Cube Hotel and Marco Pierre White restaurant (floors 23–25) |
| Planned new sites | Harborne neighbourhood restaurant; Summer Row café, restaurant and bar; refurbished College of Food restaurant |
| Investment | Over £15 million |
| Jobs | More than 150 roles to be created |
| Student programmes involved | Hotel, hospitality, culinary arts, business and events management |
As the plans progress, the project will be a barometer for how vocational education and commercial hospitality can be combined within an urban centre. For Birmingham’s students and hospitality workforce, the development represents a significant local investment in skills and jobs at a time when the sector continues to rebuild and reimagine itself.
Reporting from the West Midlands, this development will be followed for announcements on planning, staffing and opening dates as UCB moves to bring these new training‑led venues into service.
