City hotel bids for 45-bed extension

The Principal Hotel, in York, wants to develop a new wing to accommodate an extra 45 bedrooms.

If approved, the extension would be constructed near the disused Leeman Road access, close to the hotel’s conference centre and garden wing.

The hotel, which first opened in 1878, already has 157 bedrooms but says the new three-storey wing would be for business guests attending conferences.

A planning report submitted within the application explains: “Under previous management, the hotel was primarily orientated towards the conference market. This facet of the business continues to provide an important revenue stream.

“The main motivation for the Bedroom Extension is to meet extra demand on the conference business without detracting from Principal York Hotel’s new lifestyle focus.

“This extension will provide a destination for conference users with its own reception, restoration of existing gardens which have been recently used to accommodate additional car parking and a reduction and rationalisation of car parking.

“The new building is orientated to maximise views over the ornate gardens, and towards the historic city walls. And its footprint turns away from Leeman Road to reduce visual impact from the street.”

The hotel is owned and operated by InterContinental Hotels Group plc (IHG), a multinational hospitality company headquartered in Denham, Buckinghamshire.