Northern Ireland operator Hastings Hotels has unveiled plans for a £30m redevelopment of Windsor House, Belfast’s tallest building.
The company acquired the 30-storey tower last month, with a view to transforming it into a 200-key luxury hotel. The new hotel, which will be named Belfast Grand Central Hotel, is expected to create 150 new jobs in the city.
“We are delighted to unveil the plans for what will be the seventh hotel in our portfolio in Northern Ireland,” said Sir William Hastings, chairman of Hastings Hotels.
“This acquisition represents our biggest single investment to date and upon completion in 2018 the hotel will operate at the upper end of the 4-star market offering 200 bedrooms, a restaurant and bar, 18 serviced apartments and a range of superbly appointed office accommodation.
“This project is a huge undertaking for Hastings Hotels and it is has only been made possible by the strength of our existing hotels portfolio and the quality of our staff and management. It will bring the number of bedrooms in our group to over 1,000 making us the largest privately owned hotel chain on the island of Ireland.”
The original Grand Central, which also boasted 200 bedrooms, was built in 1893 and was the thriving hub of Victorian Belfast as well as the finest hotel in Ireland.
“Winston Churchill, the King of Belgium, Al Jolson, Mario Lanza and the Beatles were all guests who enjoyed its luxurious hospitality,” Hastings said. “I am extremely proud to be able to pay tribute to this much loved property of the past by naming Belfast’s newest hotel after it.”
Belfast Lord Mayor Cllr Arder Carson said: “This is great news for the city. One of our major objectives is to double the current tourism revenue by 2020 and developments such as this one by the Hastings Hotels Group are a huge step forward towards achieving that goal.”
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