GLASGOW entrepreneur Chris Trainer has revealed his enthusiasm for the continuing regeneration of Clydeside as he prepares to launch a hotel overlooking the river later this month.

Mr Trainer, owner of outdoor advertising firm Forrest Media and the third biggest shareholder in Celtic Football Club, has invested £30 million to build a nine-storey hotel next door to the SSE Hydro.

While the hotel will be owned and operated by Mr Trainer’s Forrest Group, it will trade under the Radisson Red banner, becoming the first new-build hotel to carry the brand in Europe. The 174-bedroom hotel will be crowned by its ninth-floor Sky Bar, offering panoramic views of the Glasgow skyline, while other signature features will include a 600-capacity bar, kitchen and deli, branded Oui.

Speaking exclusively to The Herald, Mr Trainer said the Radisson Red will look to take advantage of its proximity to the Hydro, as well as Glasgow’s growing status as a destination for business conferences, which he said is contributing to the buoyancy of the hotel market.

And he expressed his satisfaction in being able to contribute to the revival of the riverside around the Hydro and broader Scottish Event Campus.

Asked if he sees the opportunity for further development of the stretch between his Radisson Red and the city centre, Mr Trainer said: “Absolutely. We all the know the history of Glasgow and its background in terms of shipbuilding and [as] a major port. I suppose for many years the city turned its back on the river. It’s just nice to see a lot of development and plans to turn on to the river.

“Obviously, you go from Glasgow Harbour in the west, and you can see some of the developments that have been happening in the Broomielaw and Clyde Street as well. We’re now finally recognising what a wonderful asset the river is to the future development of the city.”

Turning to the hotel itself, Mr Trainer pledged that the Radisson Red will bring a “new concept” to the hospitality industry. “It’s definitely stretching the horizons of the hotel offer that’s available in the UK, and specifically Glasgow for that matter,” he said.

The hotel has been designed to reflect its home city, with Mr Trainer noting that Frank Quitely, the Glasgow comic book artist best known for his work on Superman and Batman and Robin, was commissioned to come up with artwork for the rooms and some public areas. Fellow Glasgow artist Adrian B McMurchie, who for several years illustrated the restaurant reviews in the Sunday Herald, has also created full-scale murals for the hotel’s corridors.

Floor to ceiling windows will be a feature of the rooms, 16 corner suites and one studio suite, all of which have been designed to be among the biggest in the city. There will also be three events and games studios and a gym.

Mr Trainer said he and Forrest managing director Donald Stewart had developed the building with a view to “owning the building as an asset”. He explained: “It wasn’t a development we were going to be flicking on, and as such you take a lot more care. We are very passionate about the quality of the product. We don’t cut corners and we want to have a hotel that we can be proud of, and that the guests in the hotel will appreciate.”

Mr Stewart noted: “That’s why the rooms are over-sized, that’s why there is a Sky Bar, that’s why the building looks as good as it does. These were costs that we incurred just because we want to make it special, and because we see ourselves as long-term investors.”

Asked whether he would consider building more hotels, Mr Trainer said: “Very much so, if the right opportunities arise. It’s fair to say we have been looking at one or two opportunities. They are very early stages, but there is very much an appetite if we can find the right environment. Certainly, the hotel sector is an area we are interested in.”