Question: By. Tamara Cohen and David Wilkes. PUBLISHED:. 10:41 EST, 25 October 2012. |. UPDATED:. 20:19 EST, 25 October 2012. Forming a majestic gatehouse from Trafalgar Square to Buckingham Palace, it will certainly be able to offer rooms with a view. After years housing civil servants’ dilapidated offices, Admiralty Arch, one of London’s best-known landmarks, is to become a luxury hotel, it was announced yesterday. And with Rafael Serrano, the Spanish developer behind the glitzy Bulgari Hotel in Knightsbridge, heading the project, it should be eye-catching at the very least. Majestic: Admiralty Arch, one of London's best-known landmarks, is to become a luxury hotel. Some critics have panned the Bulgari –. the most expensive place to stay in Britain, with even the cheapest. rooms from £850 a night – for its ‘brash’ and ‘tasteless’ decor, dubbing. it the ‘Vulgari’. Now Mr Serrano’s London-based firm. Prime Investors Capital has bought Grade I-listed Admiralty Arch for. £60million, there is talk of ‘subtle illuminations’ on the outside, and a. sumptuous ballroom and spa inside. But at a press conference to unveil. the sale yesterday, Mr Serrano was quick to stress that the 100-year-old. building’s period features will be painstakingly preserved as part of. the deal. When the arch’s sale was announced. last year, it was contingent on the building being made accessible to. the public for the first time, with a museum mooted as an option. National celebrations: The building has been part of many celebrations, including the Queen's Diamond Jubilee procession this year, over the last century. Five-star luxury: Prime Investors Capital intends to convert the building into a five-star 100-bedroom hotel with royal and presidential suites, a ballroom, spa and fine dining restaurant. Turning it into a five-star hotel will inevitably invite criticism that the arch will be accessible only to the super-rich. Mr Serrano said the hotel should. attract 50,000 guests a year in its 100 guestrooms, with a further. 50,000 visiting its bars and restaurants, which will be open to the. public. The development will also create hundreds of jobs. With nearby six-bedroom houses on the market for £30million, £60million might seem a snip. But the deal is to restore the arch during a 99-year lease, a project which will probably cost hundreds of millions. Spread over eight storeys, the. 147,300 sq ft building is not being used at present, is falling into. disrepair and has £900,000-a-year running costs, which Cabinet Office. Minister Francis Maude said amounted to a ‘tragic waste of an historic. building’. Affair: John Prescott and Tracey Temple at his private flat at Admiralty Arch, February, 2006. Royal history: Beefeaters march through the arch on Coronation Day in May 1937. Inside the arch: Used as the Cabinet Office headquarters, the public has rarely seen inside the building. Cabinet minister Francis Maude said the plans 'will bring this London landmark back to life' 'Great shame': In the 100 years since it opened, the building has had virtually no public access, including the south block staircase, but Mr Maude says that the Government wants to 'preserve it for future generations' No decision has yet been made on what the hotel will be called or who will run it. The team will liaise with the. Government on the security implications, due to its sensitive position. overlooking Whitehall and the Mall. Buckingham Palace has been consulted, while the Government retains the freehold and still has the final say in its development. The sale does not include Admiralty. House, next door, which dates from 1788 and has provided. grace-and-favour apartments for politicians including former deputy. prime minister John Prescott. Property investor Rafael Serrano is also behind the Bulgari Hotel in Knightsbridge. Room prices start at £850 and that's before service charges, tips and refreshments. Ostentatious: The Bulgari is the UK's most expensive hotel. Despite this, it is almost always completely booked. Glitzy: Another view of the interior of the Bulgari hotel in Knightsbridge.
What are the important parts of this article?
Important parts: Admiralty Arch is one of London's best-known landmarks. It is to be converted by Spanish developer Rafael Serrano. Serrano is the man behind the glitzy Bulgari hotel in Knightsbridge.

Spain manager Vicente del Bosque said that retired midfielder Xavi was even more important to the national team than him. Xavi called an end to his glittering international career on Tuesday having won one World Cup and two European Championships with Spain. Speaking to the official RFEF website, Del Bosque said Xavi was 'a key part of the team's style of play' and 'he was more important to us than even the manager.' End of an era: Barcelona midfielder Xavi announced his retirement from international football. Regular: Xavi played 133 times for Spain during a glittering 14-year international career. Happy days: Manager Vicente del Bosque and Xavi lift the World Cup in South Africa in 2010. The 34-year-old Barcelona midfielder players 133 times for his country during a 14-year international career and Dem Bosque described him as 'one of the rocks we've had in our dressing room these past six years.' The Spain boss added: 'I would like to express my appreciation for a fantastic player. We have lost a unique footballer, and one who will be difficult to replace. 'We will miss him both on and off the pitch. He is a player who we hold in great esteem both personally and as a player. 'He is and always will be a person and a player who is greatly valued by the federation, the coaching staff and by myself.'

Write highlights.

Xavi retired from international football on Tuesday. Barcelona midfielder played for Spain 133 times during his 14-year career. Xavi helped Spain to win Euro 2008, World Cup 2010 and Euro 2012. Del Bosque describes Xavi as 'a key part of the team's style of play'