Actor JOHN MALKOVICH's hopes of securing a top hotel in Lisbon, Portugal, have been dashed - so he's opening one in London instead.

The American IN THE LINE OF FIRE star has already invested in THE BIG SLEEP HOTEL in Cardiff, Wales, and the second in the chain will be opening in London " as soon as is humanly possible".

Hotel director COSMO FRY says, "John was really keen to open a place out in Lisbon, but that's not on the cards just yet, I'm afraid. "At the moment we're aggressively hunting a suitable building in London in which to expand. There are several very promising places we've seen." And he adds, "John's really into design, which is why he first invested in the project, and he'll be playing a big part in the design of the next place."

The Cardiff hotel is acclaimed for its cutting edge design and is already fully booked up for soccer's prestigious FA CUP FINAL in May (01). (JM/WN/CPT)

Source: WENN