Merchant's £16m Upgrade Opens, Creating 80 New Jobs

Saturday 31st July 2010 sees the first guests arrive at the hotly anticipated ‘New Chapter’ in Northern Ireland’s spectacular Merchant Hotel. 

The five star establishment, set in the heart of Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter, will publicly reveal for the first time its £16million extension. Incorporating a new luxury spa, decadent jazz bar, roof top garden, new conference and event facilities and a state-of-the-art gymnasium, the new extension also boasts 38 new bedrooms which are the largest guest rooms available in Belfast, each at a minimum of 42m². The New Chapter has created 80 new jobs across each area of the new building, bringing The Merchant’s total workforce to 250.

With guests now entering the Hotel through a stunning entrance in Skipper Street, the New Chapter, which also faces onto High Street, is set to further transform the historical Cathedral Quarter in Belfast city centre. The now very sizeable Merchant Hotel occupies an entire city block, stretching back from its original Waring Street location.

The expansive five star extension is part of The Merchant Hotel’s owner Bill Wolsey’s long term vision for the ground-breaking property, built in 2006.

Commenting at the launch, he said:  “I am absolutely delighted to see the New Chapter finally complete. This project has been a labour of love, having been in development for over four years with careful consideration afforded to absolutely every new element.  The finish is absolutely spectacular and I am confident that we have created a landmark that the people of Belfast can continue to take pride in.”

“The additional five star facilities will allow us to further grow our profile as an international standard bearer for Northern Ireland’s hospitality industry. It is through the dedication of our excellent 250 strong team, who have worked extremely hard to help realise this dream, that we will continue to deliver the level of service that both our local and international guests have come to expect."

New elements of The Merchant Hotel’s £16million New Chapter include:

• 38 new bedrooms. These are the largest guest rooms available in Belfast (42m² minimum)
• A luxury spa with five treatment rooms, a Champagne nail bar, a hydrotherapy area and excellent dining facilities. This is the first full hotel spa available in Belfast city centre and will be open to non-residents
• A state-of-the-art rooftop gymnasium with panoramic city views and outdoor hot tub
• Berts - a decadent jazz bar with live jazz and an excellent menu – the most expensive build cost per sq foot of any Beannchor bar.
• A roof top garden with stunning landscaping, canopies for inclement weather and an external fire
• Investment of £1.4 million into the conference and event offering, complete with six multi-purpose, self-contained meeting and event rooms (max capacity 300), with superb facilities including Intelligent Air Purification System  and a mood matching Colour Psychology Lighting System, both designed to maximise delegates’ attention and productivity for both business meetings and sumptuous weddings

Exterior design for The Merchant Hotel’s New Chapter was undertaken by local conservational architects Consarc, who were behind the original sympathetic refurbishment of the hotel, with interior design provided by O’Donnell O’Neill Design Associates. 

Picture Caption:

Bill and Petra Wolsey, At The Merchant Hotel