LANDMARK LUXURY HOTEL PLAN
PLANS for a five-star hotel in the centre of Cardiff can be revealed.
In what would be the first five-star venue in the city centre for years, and an investment that would be seen by many as filling a missing piece in Cardiff’s hospitality offer, the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport is considering a new hotel stretching across the adjoining and historic Parkgate and old County Court buildings on Westgate Street.
It is understood they are discussions with Cardiff-based property development firm Rightacres and the Welsh Rugby Union, which owns the County Court building, over the ambitious project.
Any hotel would maintain the listed facades of the two buildings, in a project that could see up to 300 bedrooms, as well as a high-end restaurant for guests and the general public.
However, to progress the project the partners would first have to secure the freehold interest in the larger Parkgate building, which once served as the city’s main post office and extends to 60,000 sq ft, from a private investor. Discussions are understood to be ongoing.
However, a positive outcome, subject to planning consent, would provide a new lease of life for the tiredlooking buildings, which are both more than 100 years old. The old County Court building has been vacant for years, while BT occupies part of the space in Parkgate.
The WRU had been looking at other options, including private residential, for its County Court building for a number of years.
It is understood that any hotel would be branded under the Celtic Manor name and be operated under a lease deal with Rightacres and the WRU; the latter could provide car parking for the venue from spaces at the Principality Stadium next door.
While a five-star is the front-runner, the hotel’s actual classification, assuming a property deal can be done, has yet to be determined. A more in-depth analysis of the potential marketplace would need to be carried out, which could result in a four-star project being taken forward.
The Celtic Manor Resort, chaired by telecommunications billionaire Sir Terry Matthews, is looking to increase its bedroom capacity.
It currently operates at a room occupancy rate of around 90% during the week and full occupancy on weekends at its existing five-star venue in Newport.
Next summer will see the opening of the £83m International Convention Centre Wales (ICC Wales), right next to the resort, which is projected to provide a £70m annual boost to the economy of the Cardiff Capital Region by attracting conferences and delegates from around the world to the region.
The WRU, Rightacres and the Celtic Manor Resort all declined to comment.
The last five-star rated hotel in the centre of Cardiff was the Hilton. The only five-star hotel currently in the city is the St David’s Hotel & Spa in Cardiff Bay.