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| PRESTIGIOUS BOUTIQUE HOTEL IS SET FOR OPENING IN SPRING | |||||
| Date : 29.01.08 | |||||
Workmen are on track to finish the £4m Cathedral Quarter Hotel on time for its opening date. The hotel, in St Mary's Gate, will have 38 bedrooms and will also contain a mini spa, conference rooms, a dining brasserie and many other high-class features. It will be the first boutique style hotel in the city and will be part of a small but select group owned by Finesse Hotels. Boutique hotels are different from larger chain hotels by providing personalised accommodation and services. Sometimes known as design hotels or lifestyle hotels, boutique hotels began appearing in the 1980s in major cities like London and New York. John Forkin, of Marketing Derby, said news of the imminent opening was good news for the city. He said: "We have known for some time that Derby needs a boutique hotel such as this. "Finesse have a great track record with other high-end hotels and it will add tremendous value to the city and the Cathedral Quarter. "We believe it will give that area of the city a real boost. "It is great to see visions, but nothing beats seeing that door open for the first time." Designed in 1893 by John Somes Story, number 16 St Mary's Gate was intended as offices for Derbyshire County Council and was a police station until 1954. Derbyshire police then used it for office space until 1996, when it was turned into a police museum. A spokesman for Finesse hotels said the company wanted to keep the police theme and, as a nod to the building's past, had named the spa, which will be housed in the basement, Clink. He said: "We are extremely excited that we can finally name the opening date as April 1. "In the past, we have bought our hotels as a business but this will be the first time we will have started one from scratch, so it is new territory for us. "All of our hotels are Grade II-listed buildings which are unique in terms of character. We are very confident that it will become a big success in a beautiful part of Derby." Prices for rooms range from £140 for a double to £220 for a suite. Derby Cityscape, which is driving forward development in the city, has also welcomed the introduction of the hotel. Chief executive John Cadwallader said: "We are delighted that this prestigious hotel will be opening in the Cathedral Quarter. "It will be a welcome addition and continues to show that Derby is attracting a high level investment into the city." Derby's roster of hotels is set to increase further in 2009, with the opening of a Jury's Inn, a Hilton Hampton and a Holiday Inn. Bookings for the Cathedral Quarter Hotel are now being taken. For details, call 0115 8523207. Article courtesy of Derby Evening Telegraph | |||||
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