The hotel was in need of a major overall as it had seen minimal investment during its 35 year life. The original planned refurbishment costs of £35-40m were not financially viable for the client but as we were involved at a strategic level we made a case at board level and suggested a model at £30m. It received approval and consisted of:

• Full refurbishment of guest bedrooms, bathrooms and corridors
• The addition of 9 guest bedrooms
• Installation of a new sprinkler system
• Soft refurbishment of the lobby, reception and bar
• Rebranding to Holiday Inn
• Removal of asbestos throughout
• Replacement of the heating, cooling and hot water generation plant

To overcome the replacing of 90% of the M&E systems and 100% of all guest areas, we decided to operate the project on a block by block basis. The project was delivered on budget and 2 months ahead of schedule.