Revamped Green's opens

North British Trust Hotels (NBTH), the privately owned Scottish group aimed mainly at the coach market, has completed a £1m refurbishment of Green's Hotel in Edinburgh.

The 76-year-old property's official reopening after seven months of work marks a final stage in an eight-year programme to upgrade the group's portfolio of 18 hotels.

During that time it has spent £2m to £3m a year on updating, mainly adding en suite facilities. In some cases, this has meant knocking down and rebuilding entire bedroom blocks, while in others the bedroom count has had to be reduced.

The refurbishment of Green's falls into the latter category; the number of bedrooms has dropped by 30 to 57. However, the standards of accommodation are now among the highest in the group, equivalent to four crowns, highly commended.

"It was a fading hotel and a bit of an embarrassment as it hadn't been invested in for many years," said NBTH director and general manager Alan Alexander. "It is now positioned as one of Edinburgh's best small hotels."

Mr Alexander said that although the property would still target the coach market, especially higher-spend Continental tourists, the aim was to attract a business clientele as well. Three small meeting rooms have been added.

The last of the group's 18 properties still to be upgraded is its only hotel south of the border, Storrs Hall Hotel in Windermere, Cumbria. Subject to discussions with planners, it hopes to add a wing to the back of the hotel to compensate for bedrooms lost by the addition of bathrooms.

Beyond that, the group's strategy is to acquire further hotels.

"We're constantly on the look-out for more hotels, particularly in Yorkshire," Mr Alexander confirmed.