Spotlight on Glasgow Hotels
- Radisson SAS is Glasgow’s latest five-star property
- Famous Glasgow landmark to be transformed into 5-star hotel by The Town House Company
- ‘Pillow talk’ from One Devonshire Gardens
- Renaissance of the Glasgow ‘Mal’
- £1.5 million refurbishment underway at Hilton Glasgow
- The Arthouse Hotel becomes ABode Glasgow
- Crowne Plaza returns to Scotland
The number of visitor beds available in Glasogw has risen more than 40 percent over the past six years, according to a Scottish Enterprise Glasgow survey. Here we focus on a number of accolades and major refurbishment plans underway reinforcing the city’s Glasgow: Scotland with style credentials.
- 5-STAR AWARD FOR RADISSON SAS GLASGOW
The Radisson SAS Hotel Glasgow has been awarded five stars by VisitScotland in recognition of its exceptional standard of services and facilities - making it one of only three hotels in Glasgow and fifteen across Scotland to achieve this status.
Since opening in November 2002, the hotel has won a host of awards including Best New Hotel at the European Hotel Design Awards in 2003 and the 2004 Glasgow Hotel of the Year.
General Manager, Philip Mahoney says: “The hotel was designed with this award in mind but Radisson is, fundamentally a four-star brand. As Radisson SAS has developed across Europe and the Middle East, we have been constantly pushing the boundaries of the four-star offering with our new, stylish hotels and ground-breaking, relaxed service delivery encompassed within our ‘Yes I Can’ approach to guest care.
“With the accolades we were achieving for the luxurious nature of the hotel, our approach to hospitality and the existing service levels, it was a natural progression to go for the award and cement our standing as one of Glasgow’s premier hotels.”
The Radisson SAS has also demonstrated its commitment to the city’s branding campaign by unveiling 3.5 x 2 metre Glasgow: Scotland with style banners in the hotel’s stunning Atrium Bar.
- FAMOUS GLASGOW LANDMARK TO BE TRANSFORMED INTO 5-STAR HOTEL
Luxury Edinburgh hoteliers, The Town House Company, have purchased one of Glasgow’s most famous historical buildings, the former Royal Scottish Automobile Club in Blythswood Square.
The deal includes plans to convert sensitively the landmark property into a five-star, 109-bedroom hotel, renovating the building to its former glory with conference facilities, restaurants, a bar and first class leisure club and spa.
The B-listed building at 8-11 Blythswood Square is the complete eastern frontage of Blythswood Square built circa 1823 and remodelled by James Miller in 1923-26. Cornering West George Street to the South and West Regent Street to the North, the building is located in The Glasgow City Central Conservation Area.
Work is due to start on the building in February 2006 with the hotel opening for business in late 2007. www.townhousecompany.com
- REFURBISHMENT PLANS UNDERWAY AT HILTON GLASGOW
The Hilton Glasgow is about to begin a refurbishment of eighty-four rooms on four of the five-star hotel’s floors including the conversion of six twin rooms into double rooms.
This initial refurbishment at the five-star city-centre property is valued at £0.5 million with the next phase being rolled into 2006, bringing the overall project cost to £1.5 million.
- MALMAISON GLASGOW IS REBORN
The Malmaison Glasgow has just unveiled its brand new £1.5 million refurbishment, which includes all seventy-two bedrooms and Brasserie.
One of the city’s original style hotels, the Glasgow ‘Mal’ has come a long way from its 19th century inception as St Jude’s Greek Orthodox Church.
Guests now enter the hotel through thick, rich, dark velvet curtains. A Rupunzel-like metal staircase takes them down to the dark and moody Veuve Cliquot Champagne Bar, which is pierced by sunshine from the skylight running the length of the room. Leading on from here is the intimate Brasserie in the building’s vaults.
One of the most popular features of the new-look Glasgow Mal is bound to be the Big Yin - the new penthouse suite, complete with nine-foot bed, freestanding tartan bathtub in the sitting room and double shower! www.malmaison.com
- ONE DEVONSHIRE GARDENS IS GLASGOW HOTEL OF THE YEAR
One Devonshire Gardens, the luxury boutique hotel in the West End of the city, has been voted Glasgow Hotel of the Year 2005 at The Scottish Hotels of the Year Awards. The awards scheme is described as the: ‘most comprehensive and successful in the industry’.
This luxury hotel has also unveiled one of the most opulent suites available in Scotland. Overlooking a walled townhouse garden, the duplex suite is the ultimate in privacy and luxury. The £1000 per night ‘Mews Suite’ is accessed through a secret doorway in the hotel. The lounge opens onto a pretty private garden and the entire suite is decorated in rich woods and sumptuous fabrics and even boasts its own private gym.
Now guests at One Devonshire Gardens can also select from the hotel’s Pillow Menu for that home-from-home feeling with a comforting choice of: goose feather & down, duck feather, non-feather firm fill and extra-soft, non-feather snow pillows on offer! www.onedevonshiregardens.com
- MAKE YOURSELF AT HOME AT ABODE GLASGOW
Hotelier Andrew Brownsword and Michelin-star chef Michael Caines have relaunched The Arthouse Hotel as ABode Glasgow. The new hotel boasts 60 guest bedrooms in total, divided between four room categories: Comfortable, Desirable, Enviable and Fabulous! In keeping with the ABode brand, the hotel combines traditional values and quality with contemporary design features. The hotel also offers guests a range of wining and dining including the Michael Caines fine dining restaurant, MC Café Bar and the first MC Vibe Bar.
Altogether ABode Glasgow promises to be an exciting addition to Glasgow’s hotel, restaurant and bar scene. www.ABodehotels.co.uk
- CROWNE PLAZA RETURNS TO SCOTLAND
One of Glasgow’s leading hotels, Glasgow Moat House, is re-branding as Crowne Plaza, part of InterContinental Hotels Group, signalling a return to Scotland for one of the world’s best known hotel groups. Part of the continued re-investment and regeneration of the Clyde, the four-star Crowne Plaza is at the heart of the city’s new business and financial centre.
The re-branding includes a multi-million pound transformation of 283 bedrooms and bathrooms; the opening of a new executive lounge, the refurbishment and opening of a new restaurant and bars; conference and meeting areas and the addition of air-conditioning throughout the entire hotel.
The new look Crowne Plaza will feature warm and stylish surroundings, bedrooms will be decorated in sumptuous fabrics in deep shades of red to complement the contemporary art, furniture and finishing touches. www.ichotelsgroup.com
- MENZIES GLASGOW CREATES THE CITY'S VERY OWN COCKTAIL
The four-star Menzies Glasgow Hotel has come up with a stylish new way to pay homage to Glasgow: Scotland with style by creating the city’s very own cocktail!
Menzies Glasgow general manager Philip Mellor said the cocktail reflected the stylish spirit at the heart of both the city and the hotel, adding: “We’ve updated a classic mojito-style cocktail and infused it with a little of Menzies’ own unique philosophy to create the perfect cocktail for a city steeped in style.
“With thousands of visitors flocking to Glasgow every year to experience its culture, history and unique sense of style, we felt it was about time that the city had its very own cocktail.”
Scott Taylor, Chief Executive - Glasgow City Marketing Bureau commented: “Glasgow is itself an eclectic cocktail containing the mix of ingredients needed to create a stylish and successful city.
“Menzies’ new venture is yet another measure of the success of the Glasgow: Scotland with style campaign, which is establishing Glasgow as a European city with flair.” www.bookmenzies.com
- BUSINESS TRAVEL WORLD AWARDS
City Inn and Marriott have been awarded Best Business Hotel Brand in the fewer than 100 properties and more than 100 properties categories respectively at the 2006 Business Travel World Awards. www.btwawards.com
- ACCOMMODATING GLASGOW
Glasgow city centre now has 604 five-star hotel rooms (Hilton, Radisson SAS and One Devonshire Gardens). This figure increases to 753 rooms with the addition of nearby Mar Hall at Bishopton and Cameron House on Loch Lomond with their excellent access to Glasgow International Airport, the Scottish Exhibition + Conference Centre and the centre of Glasgow. This number will increase yet again to 862 when The Town House Company's new 5-star property opens in late 2007.
In the four-star category, there are currently 1,760 hotel rooms in the city centre with a further 732 rooms within just 5-20 miles of Glasgow.
The three-star category meanwhile, provides 2,880 city-centre rooms with an additional 2,593 hotel rooms within only 5-20 miles.
Scott Taylor, Chief Executive – Glasgow City Marketing Bureau, said: “These latest developments vividly demonstrate how Glasgow’s hotel industry is constantly striving for excellence and by doing so reinforcing the city’s Glasgow: Scotland with style credentials.
“In the 21st Century, cities compete on the basis of image and use branding to articulate their position in the market. Tourism is the world’s biggest growth industry and distinguishing Glasgow from its competitors is vital to the city’s economic future.
“It is through maximising the use of the brand - in partnership with the city’s business community - that Glasgow’s credentials on the global stage will be reinforced.”
ENDS
For further information contact:
Moira Dyer, Senior Manager – Public Relations
Glasgow City Marketing Bureau
Tel: 0044 (0) 141 566 0831. Mobile: 07971 245 805
E-mail: moira.dyer@seeglasgow.com
Note to Editors
- Since the launch of the Glasgow: Scotland with style branding campaign in March 2004, 206,000 additional tourists have visited the city, equating to £24 million in local economic benefit.
- There are currently 12,000 hotel bedrooms available within a 10-mile radius of Glasgow city centre. The total bedroom stock for the Greater Glasgow area including hotels, guest houses, B&Bs, self catering and university halls of residence is now in excess of 17,000.
PR18/hotelupdate/jan06