Hilton announces ‘transformation project’ for Belfast hotel

The Hilton group has announced a £10 million (€11.5 million) “transformation project” for its Belfast hotel which occupies a landmark site overlooking the River Lagan in the city.

The chain, which opened its Belfast hotel in 1998, was one of the first international hospitality brands to come to the North.

Hilton has said its transformation project for Belfast will include a full refurbishment of the hotel’s facilities and will also increase the number of bedrooms and suites to 202.

According to Mark Walker, general manager of Hilton Belfast, the multi-million pound refurbishment by the group will result in “state-of-the-art facilities and high-end finishes” inspired by art deco design.

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“This significant investment demonstrates not only Hilton’s commitment to constantly innovating and improving the visitor experience, but importantly our confidence in Belfast, an increasingly popular visitor destination for city breaks and conferences,” Mr Walker said.

Very different market

When Hilton opened its doors in Belfast 22 years ago it was a very different market compared with the hotel sector that it operates in today.

But Gerry Lennon, chief executive of the tourism and information organisation, Visit Belfast, believes Hilton made a very important, early contribution to the city with its decision to open the hotel in 1988, because he said it acted as a “catalyst” for other investors to follow in its footsteps.

Since then Mr Lennon said the 24 hotel developments which followed have delivered “multi-millions of pounds of private sector investment” for the city.

“Belfast’s hotels now provide close to 5,000 rooms and, last year, nearly 1.4 million bed nights were sold generating over £108 million in room revenue for the city economy. Belfast’s tourism industry and, in particular, our hoteliers have been central to the city’s renaissance and regeneration of recent years so we welcome this latest investment in our world-class hotel portfolio.”