Hotel refurb gets underway
THE transformation of a York city centre hotel is underway.
The £3m scheme will see the addition of new bedrooms, meeting rooms and the refurbishment of the existing public and guest rooms at the Best Western Monkbar Hotel.
Taking seven months to complete, the refurbishment will lead to the creation of more than 20 new jobs at the venue.
The privately-owned hotel, which was opened in 1990, has seen a number of extensions over the past 24 years, with the previous one in 1998, taking it to its current number of 99 guest bedrooms.
The latest scheme will see 27 twin, double and executive rooms – plus a new function suite – being created in a new three-storey extension block within the hotel’s existing footprint.
The interior of the public areas and existing and news guest rooms have been designed by Janine Powel of Hampton Design, which credits Marriott, Intercontinental, Centre Parcs and New York University amongst its client list.
Once completed, the work will lift the hotel’s Best Western status from three star to four star plus.
Monkbar Hotel general manager Graham Usher said: “This significant investment marks the most exciting chapter in the Monkbar Hotel’s 24-year history.
“It is a major project that will totally transform the hotel and offer guests a range of new facilities.
“Whilst there will, undoubtedly, be some disruption – and for that we do apologise – the completed project will see the hotel boasting some of the most modern facilities in the city.”
The Monkbar Hotel was bought in 2007 by Shiva Hotels, which owns venues in London, Derby, Manchester and Coventry, and recently opened two Hampton by Hilton hotels at Waterloo and Gatwick.
