Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Bestie’s room with a view..
Lifesize statue of football legend planned for £15m hotel rooftop
A LIFESIZE George Best statue will overlook guests from the rooftop of a new £15million hotel dedicated to the football legend.
Images of the memorial were unveiled yesterday by the team behind the ambitious project.
The Beautiful Belfast Boy statue will create a permanent tribute to the star in the hotel which will open at Donegall Square in the city centre in November.
The scheme is a joint venture between the Signature Living Hotel Group and George Best’s family, including his sister and devoted confidante Barbara Mcnarry.
The Best family has already presented a number of items of memorabilia to kick off the unique collection to be housed in the building.
Items include replica European Cups, a silver Northern Ireland cap, paintings of George and a shirt signed by many of the mourners who attended his funeral. The development of the listed former Scottish & Mutual building will be the first of four hotels, and part of a £80million Signature Living investment in the city.
This includes the £25million redevelopment of the historic Crumlin Road courthouse to create the 150-bedroom Lanyon Hotel and the Waring Hotel at the former War Memorial Building on Waring Street.
Chairman Lawrence Kenwright has described Signature Living as “a hotel group with a hint of theatre”.
He said he could not think of “a more fitting tribute than to have a statue of this iconic footballer erected on the rooftop of this magnificent building”.
Mr Kenwright added: “To have George Best looking down on Donegall Square and City Hall is an acknowledgement of how important the people and the great city of Belfast were to him and how much he loved the people.
“He was a beacon of hope and inspiration for the people of Northern and southern Ireland.”
He was a beacon of hope and inspiration for the people LAWRENCE KENWRIGHT YESTERDAY