Hastings Hotels to invest $67.4M to develop seventh hotel

Ireland's Hastings Hotels has planned to invest $67.4 million in its seventh hotel. The announcement follows the completion of a $12.7-million overhaul of its six other hotels.

The group received planning permission from the Belfast City Council in April to redevelop the former Windsor House office building into the 304-room Grand Central Hotel. Over 150 jobs will be involved in the plan, The Irish Times reported.  

MD Howard Hastings told The Irish News that the company has planned to work with many local firms to redevelop the site, including Graham Construction, a Lisburn-based company will manufacture the structural steel, and a Moira-based company will design and procure the cladding. The mechanical and electrical contractors, bricklayers, joiners, plasterers and the town crane driver will also be local. 

Hastings said in a statement, "We are currently making our biggest single investment to date in the Grand Central Hotel of $67.4 million and, upon completion, it will be Northern Ireland’s largest hotel with 304 bedrooms, meeting spaces, bars and restaurants...In addition, we invested over $12.7-million in the last three years in the continuous investment programs of our six hotels to ensure we offer our guests the very best facilities and experience on every visit."

Hastings also said that the company recently completed a $6.1-million renovation of the Culloden Estate & Spa and a new $1.9-million grand ballroom at the Everglades Hotel in Derry. It has also invested $2.5 million into the Europa and $1.27 million into the Stormont Hotel to update their conference and event facilities.