The historic Hat & Feathers public house has proudly stood on the corner of Goswell Road and Clerkenwell Road, London, since c.1860. Now Grade II listed, its four storeys have recently been refurbished and complemented with two new build ‘wings’ which make up the Indigo Hotel.
The Hat & Feathers closed its doors as a public house in 2011. Now, thanks to Keith Davies and Omenport Developments Ltd, it has been carefully restored and reopened as part of Hotel Indigo, which welcomed its first guests under IHG in April 2025.
Daikin and Direct Cooling Services (London) keep a 4-star hotel and Grade II Listed pub cool through one of the UK’s hottest summers
Direct Cooling Services (London) stepped in to revalidate and repair, and install condensers and fan coils after the original contractor ceased operations partway through the project.
“We went in blind and picked up the pieces for the full install on the pub, hotel reception and guest rooms, with the basement and lower basement phases to follow,” said Nick Weymouth of Direct Cooling Services (London).
“As a historic and listed site, we tackled it as a design and build project, adapting as we went, as there are always a lot of unknowns with a building of this age and character,” he continued.
The appointed mechanical consultants, Design and Management Services Ltd had already specified Daikin products for the Clerkenwell project. Design and Management Services Ltd Director, Mick Matthews said, “We have worked extensively and very successfully with Daikin and their VRV IV system on numerous hotel and leisure projects, and were pleased to put them forward again for this one.”
Plan for the future to preserve the past
Direct Cooling Services provided complete Daikin VRV IV+ 3 pipe-heat recovery (8HP and 10P) and ventilation systems for the public house, with multi branch selector (BS) boxes connecting indoor units serving the hotel’s public areas, reception, restaurant, gym and back of house.
Now, a combination of concealed ceiling and discreet wall and floor-mounted models deliver high seasonal efficiency, low-carbon heat recovery, individual room control and uninterrupted heating and cooling across both the luxury 4-star hotel and restored public house.
“Daikin is the market leader, their products are consistent, and with our D1+ Partner status, our loyalty is rewarded with benefits we’re able to pass on to our customers.”
Nick Weymouth, Direct Cooling Services (London)
A positive result
Having opened ahead of a very hot and dry summer, with London regularly hitting temperatures above 30°C, the air conditioning system has certainly been put to the test and has performed extremely well under such pressure, with good feedback received from the hotel.
