GLASGOW’S Grand Central Hotel is poised to reopen following a “multi-million-pound” refurbishment.
The historic hotel, which is located in Central Station, will unveil a new look for its 230 bedrooms, meeting rooms and reception areas when it opens its doors again on March 22.
At that stage, the hotel will be open to guests allowed to travel for essntial reasons, in line with Scottish Government guidelines, before the hospitality industry is permitted to open on a wider basis from late April.
The hotel, which is owned by industry giant IHG Hotels & Resorts, will have been closed for a year by the time it reopens, with the coronavirus crisis having delayed refurbishment plans.
It will relaunch under a new brand, voco, becoming the first IHG property in Scotland to trade under the banner. Voco is said to be inspired by the Latin for “to invite” or to “come together”, IHG said.
The company notes the gold and blue colour scheme of the revamped interior complements the original Victorian architecture of the railway hotel.
Features include a new gallery wall with artworks created by the Scottish public, some recalling visits to the hotel by John F Kennedy and Frank Sinatra.
Paul Bray, UK area manager for IHG Hotels & Resorts North, said: “We are very proud to be reopening our doors as Scotland’s first voco hotel. The rich history of this iconic building and the stories within its walls mean so much to many Glaswegians and guests who have visited the hotel, so we are delighted to be able to continue that legacy as a voco.
“We want locals as well as visitors to the city to be able to make memories here, whether it is an after-work drink, a long lunch or a weekend in one of the UK’s coolest cities.”
Mr Bray added: “The word voco is inspired by the Latin for ‘come together’ and that is particularly poignant to us. Post-lockdown, when so many of us have spent such a long time apart from family and friends, we hope many will choose voco Grand Central for those special moments when we can reunite and come together again and we can’t wait to have guests return to the hotel to enjoy our new facilities.”
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