Hull 2017 prompts expansion for newly-acquired hotel

The new owners of a historic hotel in Hull have submitted plans to expand the building, prompted by growing visitor numbers as a result of City of Culture 2017.

Britannia Hotels, which has just acquired the Mercure Royal Hotel, has applied to Hull City Council for permission to add 44 bedrooms to the 155-bedroom building by converting existing office space.

A statement in the report said: “The proposed interior alterations to the hotel building are to areas that have been refurbished in modern times and converted to modern office space, which are currently either 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.”