As work continues to restore the Grand Hotel, the Post took a sneak peek
ONE of Birmingham’s most famous and historic buildings is shaping up to become a super hotel as restoration contin- luxury ues.
But work on The Grand Hotel, in Colmore Row, is a slow painstaking process – so while the renovations continue, the Birmingham Post had a chance to have a sneak preview of the project.
The hotel was built in 1879 and has a rich history – not least because it was the venue for the last speech in England by Amercican Black rights activist Malcolm X.
Other famous figures who have stayed there include Winston Churchill, Charlie Chaplin and The Rolling Stones, to name a few.
But the hotel eventually fell out of favour and into disrepair and closed in 2002.
However, in 2012 permission was granted for plans to restore the building into a luxury 150-bedroom hotel.
With financial support from English Heritage, Horton’s Estates, which owns the hotel, has embarked on complex and challenging restoration work and committed to returning the building to its former glory.
Hortons’ had mothballed the Grade II*-listed building at considerable expense for several years to prevent further damage before restoration proper began.
A total of £18 million has so far been invested in renovating the hotel but the total budget is likely to hit £45 million by the time it is complete.
Tony Green, of Horton’s revealed that the aim was to offer Birmingham a world-class luxury five-star hotel.
“This needs to be a premier fivestar hotel,” he said.
“It’s not enough to say it will be restored to former glories, we are competing with five-star hotels from around the world.
“It has to be updated in line with current luxury standards.”
But he admitted that the re-opening of The Grand was an ambitious undertaking, reliant on Birmingham’s other developments and boosted by key regeneration projects like high speed rail and the Smithfield, Paradise and Eastside Locks regeneration projects, which should bring more investment into the city.
He said: “If The Grand was going to open now – it would not flourish. Birmingham is not ready for a fivestar hotel yet but our firm belief is that in a few year’s time, certainly by 2026, it will be.”
The reborn building will create 152 rooms, eight suites and a new bar and restaurant. A major addition will also see a new outdoor terrace in the central courtyard – the first time in The Grand’s history.
All of the 1970s interiors have been stripped out to reveal the Victorian detailing, and extensive façade restoration works have also been completed.