University College Birmingham has acquired the former The Cube Hotel and Marco Pierre White restaurant in Birmingham city centre, the first stage of a hospitality investment programme of more than £15 million that the university said will create more than 150 jobs.
The Birmingham College of Food, part of the university, will take over the two venues, which occupy the 23rd, 24th and 25th floors of The Cube, and reopen them as a 52-bedroom hotel and restaurant. Redevelopment and upgrade works will take place over the next three to four months, the university said, with opening dates and recruitment details published as the venues progress towards completion. The hotel and the restaurant, which opened in 2011, ceased trading in June.
Alongside the hotel, University College Birmingham will open a neighbourhood restaurant in Harborne and a café, restaurant and bar at its Summer Row campus in the city centre. The existing Restaurant at Birmingham College of Food will undergo a full refurbishment under the same programme.
The university said the venues will operate as commercial businesses while providing students on its hotel, hospitality, culinary arts, business and events management courses with paid employment, apprenticeships and placements. Recruitment is under way for hospitality professionals to lead each venue, with what the university described as a particular focus on bringing back its own alumni.
Professor Michael Harkin, vice-chancellor and principal at University College Birmingham, said: “This acquisition marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for University College Birmingham and demonstrates our continued commitment to investing in exceptional learning environments for our students. Over the past five years, we have invested more than £300 million across our campuses, Birmingham city centre and the surrounding communities, and this latest programme represents another significant step forward.”
He added: “At the same time, we are strengthening Birmingham’s hospitality sector when it is facing significant challenges by creating new jobs, attracting talented professionals and supporting the city’s reputation as a leading destination for hospitality, tourism and culinary excellence.”
The investment comes as the wider sector sheds staff. Analysis of official employment data by UKHospitality found that almost 89,000 hospitality jobs have been lost since the autumn Budget, 53 per cent of the 164,641 jobs lost across the UK economy over the same period. The trade body said the rate of job losses in hospitality was seven times that of the wider economy as a proportion of the workforce. Kate Nicholls, its chair, has called on the government to lower business rates, change employer National Insurance contributions and cut VAT.
David Cumberlidge, commercial director at University College Birmingham, said: “These acquisitions create an incredible opportunity for our students to learn and work alongside experienced hospitality professionals in a range of exciting commercial settings. University College Birmingham has an outstanding heritage, the College of Food, part of our Business School, has trained many Michelin-starred chefs as well as countless hospitality leaders.”
The acquisition follows the opening of a culinary school in Chelmsley Wood, which offers free training for adults and young people entering hospitality or returning to work. The government has separately confirmed an apprenticeship bursary of up to £4,500 a year for Universal Credit households.
University College Birmingham teaches more than 10,000 students. The Restaurant at Birmingham College of Food has served diners since the 1960s.
The EY 2026 UK Attractiveness Survey ranked Birmingham as the second most sought-after UK city outside London among companies planning to invest, with the Midlands creating 5,970 foreign direct investment jobs in 2025.
