Business

Malmaison invests in major revamp to public areas and bedrooms

The uber-chic Chez Mal Bar space at the Belfast Malmaison is a mix of bright colours, sumptuous sofas and quirky accents
The uber-chic Chez Mal Bar space at the Belfast Malmaison is a mix of bright colours, sumptuous sofas and quirky accents The uber-chic Chez Mal Bar space at the Belfast Malmaison is a mix of bright colours, sumptuous sofas and quirky accents

BELFAST'S Malmaison Hotel has completed a major revamp to its public areas - and work is also currently under way to transform all 64 bedrooms by the end of this month.

The opening of the stylish Chez Mal Bar is part of a broader investment into the boutique hotel, reaffirming the operator's confidence in the Northern Ireland hospitality sector.

It comes at a time of significant expansion for the Malmaison brand, with three new hotels set to open over the next 24 months.

These include Bournemouth, where it is in the early stages of developing a new-build hotel; Edinburgh, where renovation work has already begun on the listed Buchan House, which will be its second site in the city; and York, where work has started on a 150-room hotel.

Malmaison was established in 1994 in Edinburgh as an affordable and chic hotel brand providing great style, food and value.

A pioneer of the metropolitan modern town-house hotel, with an emphasis on stylised quality bedrooms, it grown to 15 properties throughout the UK.

Malmaison has operated in Belfast since December 2004, when it acquired the former McCausland Hotel, which opened in 1998.

The four-storey building, which dates back to 1867, was acquired by DoE Roads Service in 1975 and actually earmarked for demolition before the DoE Historic Buildings branch listed the property in 1981.

The now defunct Laganside Corporation subsequently took responsibility for the building, with Landmark Hotels (Dublin) acquiring it and refurbishing it as a hotel.

The new Chez Mal Bar, which has a distinctly opulent feel, perfect for lively after-work cocktails or a stylish Saturday night out on the town, is set to become the latest luxury hotspot on the Belfast bar scene.

Hotel general manager Chris McLaughlin said: “Belfast’s bar scene has been booming in recent years, and with our dramatic transformation and new Malchemy cocktail menu, we’re ready to reclaim Chez Mal’s position as the city’s go-to destination.”