Lowry hotel undertaking £5m refurbishment

The Lowry hotel in Manchester is undertaking a £5m refurbishment this year, with around £1m being spent on its restaurant and bar space.

Expected to complete late September, the 165-bedroom hotel's River Bar & Restaurant is being launched as the Lowry Lounge & Bar and the River restaurant with a new look including "soft hues, a new layout and bespoke furnishings".

The Lowry Lounge & Bar is getting a new feature bar as well as a new drinks and food offer under the stewardship of food and beverage manager Daniel Thompson.

The River restaurant is getting an interior redesign as well as a new menu from executive head chef Dave Ashton, who joined the property earlier this year following the departure of Andrew Green, who left the hotel to open the Mamucium restaurant in the city at the end of last year. The River restaurant will continue to offer Sunday lunch and afternoon tea.

The new look is being created by interior design firm Goddard Littlefair. Following completed works on the hotel's presidential suite, lobby and mezzanine, other developments for the hotel this year will include a redesign of the hotel's luxury corner suites and upgrades of its meeting spaces.

During the refurbishment of the restaurant, the hotel's ballroom has been transformed into a pop-up restaurant and bar to cater for guests.

Adrian Ellis, general manager of the Lowry hotel, said: "It's an incredibly exciting year for the Lowry hotel. We're investing nearly £5m in developments to cement our status as Manchester's premier five-star hotel amongst growing competition in the city."

Rocco Forte Hotels opened the Lowry in 2001 and sold it in 2014 to Westmont Hospitality Group. Ownership changed again in 2017, with CDL Hospitality Trusts acquiring it for £52.5m.