ONE of the north's best known names in hospitality has said his latest project is the most exciting he has ever worked on.
Michael Stewart, whose 30 years of experience in the industry includes Belfast venues Apartment, The Northern Whig, Ryan's Bar and The Hudson, is behind the redevelopment of Madison's Hotel on Botanic Avenue, now known as House Belfast.
Working with business partner Alan Clancy, the pair have transformed the former student nightspot into a boutique 31-bedroom hotel following a £2 million investment, with Mr Stewart asserting that there is nothing like it in the current market.
"House is a totally different offering to what was here before. It's the best I've been involved in," he said.
"For me, in my view and it's not a biased opinion, I think design wise it's the best that's out there at the moment. It's a game changer. People will come in and go 'wow' and then we got to wow them with the service."
The former Madison's Hotel is now unrecognisable in its new form, with four bedrooms sacrificed to create floor space, a new garden area, whiskey room and a striking main bar complete with a decorative tree greeting you as you enter. A basement bar and possible club will also be added to the development later in the year.
Although a new concept in Belfast, the House brand already has a strong presence in Dublin and Limerick, with plans for a Dún Laoghaire branch later this year. The brainchild of Mr Clancy, who runs Dublin-based development firm NolaClan and operates a range of high profile bars, restaurants and hotels across Ireland, he saw a gap in the market in Belfast and believes the city has great potential.
He also cites the influence of a well-known local hotels entrepreneur, who has helped light the way.
"It was always my intention to use the House brand in major cities, that's why it was a natural fit (in Belfast)," he said.
"There's a lot happening in Belfast, there's good opportunities and then with all that is happening in tourism it was a natural fit for me to come to Belfast. Why wouldn't I? It's an hour and a half up the road, Cork is two and a half hours down the road. It's a major city, it's the second biggest city in the 32 counties after Dublin.
"Belfast is developing, there's a lot of good units opening. Bill Wolsey has opened some really good units over the past number of years and Bullitt there is a fantastic addition to the city. In fairness to Bill he has helped drive this city up, so he deserves a lot of credit. I suppose if I didn't see his vision ahead of me, would I be here? Possibly not. I wouldn't be here if I didn't think it was good and exciting, I think we can fill a niche that's missing, whether that takes time or it's a quick hit I don't know yet, I always like one that takes time."
Targeting the over 25 market the business partners are encouraged by the early response generated by House Belfast and hope to take advantage of the growth of Belfast as a tourist destination, with the city, along with the Causeway Coast named as Lonely Planet's number one region to visit in 2018.
"Social media has been electric, it's been huge," Mr Stewart said.
"Obviously there are a lot of design elements which are very social media friendly, like the tree and the décor so that's helped obviously. It's generated a lot of interest. That interest now needs to turn into footfall through the door."
Looking forward and neither man has further projects lined up in the north in the near future, with both keen to establish House Belfast in a competitive city market.
"I don't think Belfast is my next concentration. I have at the moment five sites to do, so I'll do them first," Mr Clancy said.
"I'll listen to anybody, including Michael. It wouldn't be a priority right now (to look at new Belfast projects), our priority is to make sure we get this one right and deliver on all our promises. We tweak it to what it should be and stand proudly over it and then see where that takes us."
