THE HILTON Glasgow hotel yesterday celebrated its 30th anniversary by unveiling a major refurbishment, including all of its bedrooms and suites, and its Grand Ballroom, declaring it was looking towards its next three decades.
The hotel noted it had played host to "numerous world leaders and celebrities" over the past three decades including former US president Bill Clinton and the late president of South Africa Nelson Mandela as well as "football legends" Sir Alex Ferguson, Johan Cruyff.
Hilton Glasgow noted “Whitney Houston was number one in the UK charts with I Will Always Love You and Sharon Stone was smashing the cinema box office with Basic Instinct” when Glasgow Hilton first opened its doors on St Andrews Day 1992. It was the first-ever Hilton hotel to open in Scotland.
The hotel said: “The design concept for the refurbishment is centred around the hotel’s Glasgow heritage, drawing inspiration from the ‘Glasgow Style’ made famous by Scottish architect and designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh. His linear style is reflected in the bespoke furniture while the carpets and soft furnishings are inspired by the organic-inspired work of sisters Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh and Frances Macdonald MacNair.”
Former general manager David Thompson, who managed the hotel when it launched in 1992, returned as a guest to celebrate the anniversary.
He said “We opened on St Andrews Day in the middle of the worst recession in memory but we had to open and had a massive party to introduce the hotel to the city. It was a big thing for Glasgow at the time, the first five-star hotel.
“The main changes I notice in the intervening 30 years are that the hotel now is much cleaner and simpler in its decoration, much less fussy. The bedrooms were generous in size and that remains the case. I still have very fond memories of my time at Hilton Glasgow.”Hilton Glasgow general manager Calum Ross said: ““It’s been a fantastic way to mark the occasion and the best thing has been catching up with so many partners, so many clients, so many old friends and customers who are popping back in to see what we’ve been doing for the past two years. The feedback has been great. It’s an enormous privilege for me to be the general manager of this property. It’s part of Glasgow, an iconic feature of the city skyline, and it has a great history.”
He added: “To have been engaged in this project, relighting the fire and bringing some serious style into play, that just makes me feel really lucky. The city will benefit from having a great Hilton Glasgow again.”
Returning as a guest to celebrate the milestone was former General Manager David Thompson, who managed the hotel when it launched in 1992. He said “We opened on St Andrews Day in the middle of the worst recession in memory but we had to open and had a massive party to introduce the hotel to the city. It was a big thing for Glasgow at the time, the first five-star hotel.
“The main changes I notice in the intervening 30 years are that the hotel now is much cleaner and simpler in its decoration, much less fussy. The bedrooms were generous in size and that remains the case. I still have very fond memories of my time at Hilton Glasgow.”
The Grand Ballroom which has hosted thousands of conferences, exhibitions, weddings and events, has been refurbished with the latest technology including "animated wallpaper" and LED (light-emitting diode) lighting to "alter the atmosphere of the room at the click of a button"
All 320 bedrooms and suites have been refurbished with a "light, fresh colour palette in a contemporary take on the Art Nouveau style", the hotel said.
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