by Richard Buckley, Editor, Business Eye

Leading Belfast hotel, the Crowne Plaza, has embarked on a major  £5m investment programme, which will see a significant upgrade and extension of the property’s guest bedroom accommodation.   Owned and operated by Andras Hotels, Belfast’s largest hotel group, the project is the final stage of the transformation of the award-winning, four-star hotel.


Over the past 24 months the Crowne Plaza has enjoyed an upgrade of all public areas including a complete refurbishment of the Grand Ballroom and of the Malone and Laganview wedding suites, a remodelling of the lobby and creation of the Great Oak Conference Centre.

 

The current investment, awarded to local fit-out specialists MSM Contracts, will see all 120 bedrooms completely refurbished in a design-led approach, with new bespoke furniture and soft furnishings, air-conditioning, Wifi and all new bathrooms. In addition the hotel will see a further 36 bedrooms rooms added including 16 new executive Club Rooms, 6 Bridal Suites and a stunning Presidential Suite.

The work commenced in January and will be completed in two phases, completing early 2019.

 

The refurbishment and extension has been designed by award-winning local architects and designers Consarc Architects and Philip Rodgers Design who collaborated on the design project. The result is a decadent, vibrant mix of colours, tones and rich fabrics, combined with a clever use of space, designer furniture, exceptional beds and luxury bathrooms rivalling any luxury hotel in Ireland.

 

Crowne Plaza Hotels and Resorts is the upscale, full service hotel brand from InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG). IHG awarded Andras Hotels the first Crowne Plaza franchise in Northern Ireland franchise in 2016, showing commitment and confidence for the 37-year-old company whom it has a long-standing relationship with.

 

Rajesh Rana, Director of Andras Hotels, welcomed the start of the upgrade work on the Shaw’s Bridge property, which is sited in an Area of Outstanding Beauty, located within the Lagan Valley Regional Park.

 

He said: “We are delighted to reach the final stage of our investment and upgrade plans, meaning that we are on-target to become the leading conference, wedding and leisure hotel in Northern Ireland.

 

“Our new, enhanced range of bedrooms rooms, bathrooms and event space combined with our award-winning chefs means that we are now attracting conferences, weddings and events on a national scale.

 

“This upgrade of our bedrooms will complete the repositioning of the hotel for corporate and leisure guests while the additional bedrooms will confirm our position as Northern Ireland’s largest residential conferencing and banqueting venues.

 

“We have over 20,000 square feet of events space which extends over 21 meeting rooms and are happy to say that our occupancy in these spaces has exceeded all targets.”

Rajesh concluded: “This is a major investment and a vote of confidence in Belfast and Northern Ireland by Andras Hotels and IHG for future business prospects in this discerning and buoyant market. I would like to thank our exceptional team of builders, designers and our in-house staff for their continued level of excellence.”

 

Paul Jackson, Consarc Design said: “This has been one of our flagship projects over the past number of years and one which the entire team are very proud of. We have enjoyed working with Andras House and look forward to future projects.”

 

Ronan Donaghy, Philip Rodgers Design continued: “We are delighted with the progress of this fantastic project so far. From the transformation of the Laganview Suite to become a modern, luxury bridal suite to the pre-function area at the Malone Suite which allowed us to showcase some of our exquisite lighting and beautiful fabrics. The bedrooms are now the ultimate in luxury and we look forward to completing the final stage of the contract.”

 

Andras Hotels was founded in Belfast in 1981. It currently operates five internationally-branded hotels with 700 beds in the city; Holiday Inn® Express, Holiday Inn®, Belfast City Centre, two Ibis Hotels and the Crowne Plaza. The leading Belfast hoteliers are also in the final stages of the build of a new Hampton by Hilton Hotel in the city’s Hope Street, which is set to open this spring.

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Paul Jackson, Consarc Design is pictured alongside, George Graham, GM at Crowne Plaza, Stacey Feeney, Conference and Banqueting Manager, Crowne Plaza and Ronan Donaghy, Philip Rodgers Design.

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