Britannia Hotels' new Royal Hotel Hull to be expanded
Britannia Hotels is set to expand the 155-bedroom Mercure Hull Royal hotel that it has just acquired for an undisclosed sum.
The group of what now comprises 53 UK hotels has applied to Hull City Council for planning permission to add 44 bedrooms through the conversion of existing office space.
The planning application said that the offices are currently not used by the hotel or not used as efficiently as they could be.
"Some of the space is leased to third parties, however the use of the space would be far more efficient if it were converted to hotel rooms and allow the hotel to operate at a higher capacity," it stated.
Located adjacent to the city's station, the newly renamed Royal Hotel Hull is located within a Grade II Victorian property which once belonged to British Transport Hotels. Its interior was rebuilt in 1992 following a fire which gutted the building two years earlier.
Founded in 1976 when Alex Langsam acquired the 100-bedroom Country House hotel in Manchester, Britannia Hotels is one of the largest privately owned hotel companies in the UK.
Hull is currently experiencing a boost in visitor numbers as a result of its status at the City of Culture 2017.
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