THE worlds of politics, business, hospitality and tourism have united to celebrate the official launch of the first Crowne Plaza hotel in Northern Ireland.
Owned and operated by Belfast’s largest hotel group Andras Hotels, the new hotel follows an upgrade and rebranding of flagship property, the four-star Ramada Plaza at Shaws Bridge.
Crowne Plaza Hotels and Resorts is the upscale, full service hotel brand from InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), one of the world’s leading hotel companies with 4,900 hotels in nearly 100 countries.
Rajesh Rana, director at Andras Hotels, said: “The evening is the culmination of many years of planning and months of hard work from our fantastic team.
"From our interior designers who have created such a bespoke, contemporary design throughout the property, to our team of executive chefs who produce such award-winning dishes daily – every person has played their part and for that we are very grateful.
“The finished product is out of this world and we believe represents the ultimate business and leisure hotel in Belfast.
“Our rebrand has totalled £600,000 to upgrade the hotel to the exacting Crowne Plaza brand standards – something we are very proud to showcase in Northern Ireland for the first time."
He added: “We also have plans to roll-out a further £3.4 million over an 18-month period, which will see a complete refurbishment of all 120 bedrooms and the creation of 34 new bedrooms. When the work is complete we will have invested £6 million into our flagship property.”
The upgrade and rebrand follows a complete refurbishment of the grand ballroom, lobby and conference suites. The hotel now features new Club Bedrooms and a Club Lounge featuring complimentary continental breakfast, snacks and drinks. The restaurant also has a new look, complete with an all new menu concept.
IHG's UK and Ireland operations vice-president Karan Khanna said: "IHG is absolutely delighted with the opening of the Crowne Plaza Belfast, the first Crowne Plaza in Northern Ireland.
“We are confident its beautifully renovated conference and banqueting facilities, contemporary restaurant and bar outlets together with its high calibre staff will make this hotel one of the flagships for the brand in Europe."
Andras Hotels was founded in Belfast, where it has a 30-year history. It currently operates five internationally-branded hotels and Cordia Serviced Apartments with over 700 bedrooms in the city.
As well as the Crowne Plaza, Andras also operates the Holiday Inn Belfast City Centre and Holiday Inn Express in Belfast under the IHG brand.
