The most anticipated Titanic Hotel in Belfast will open to the public this Sunday 10th of September
Situated inthe former Harland & Wolff headquarters and historic Drawing Offices, the£28m hotel is bringing over 75 new jobs to the city and is being restored andoperated by the Harcourt Developments team with a £5m investment from theHeritage Lottery Fund secured by the Titanic Foundation towards the DrawingOffices. Over 230 people were employed by Harcourt during the hotelconstruction.
The luxuryhotel will boast 119 rooms all with spectacular views of Belfast’s richshipbuilding history from the Harland & Wolff cranes to the east to TitanicBelfast and the slipways to the west.As the mostauthentic hotel to honour the work of Harland & Wolff and the majesty of Titanic,rooms for opening week are almost sold out with visitors from all around theworld flocking to immerse themselves in the legacy of Queen’s Island.
JohnDoherty, Group Creative Director at Harcourt Developments, added; “History andheritage helped build this hotel, and it can be seen in every aspect of thefinish, from the carpet to the cornices. We are working with the HeritageLottery Fund and the Titanic Foundation to ensure Belfast’s illustriousshipbuilding legacy is told in true style."
“The hotelwill also tell the story of the people who made the industry here in a way thatno other destination could. Over the past five years the Titanic Foundation haswelcomed over 50,000 people to the Drawing Offices from the local community whohave personal links to the heritage of the ship and headquarters. We could nothave told this story without them. We lookforward to opening the doors on the 10th September so everyone cancome to Belfast and experience the uniqueness of Titanic Hotel Belfast forthemselves.”
Thedistinctive arching Offices have been kept completely intact, with the originalmoulding restored, which was crafted by the same men who built Titanic.Reclamation is at every corner, from floor tiles to wall tiles, most of whichwere restored from the main building. Of special interest are the originaltiles surrounding the main bar, which are identical to the tiles used for Titanic’sswimming pool.
When open,Titanic Hotel Belfast will also host public-access tours of the main DrawingOffices starting with a six-week free exhibition that will tell the story ofthe building. Half a dozen key heritage rooms within the hotel, including LordPirrie’s Office and the Presentation Room*, will be open to the public toursdisplaying artefacts and details of the restoration works and history weavedinto the décor.
As well as deluxeaccommodation, the hotel will hold seven private event spaces making use of theoffices of Thomas Andrews, Lord Pirrie and Mr Charles Payne, some ofthe most influential figures of Harland & Wolff and the design of Titanic.Drawing Office 1 can hold up to 250 guests for larger functions.
The166-seater dining room will serve up first class fine dining dishes made oflocally sourced ingredients while the bespoke cocktail bar is where guests cansip on some of the freshest serves. Titanic HotelBelfast will open to the public at 1200 hours, 10th September2017. For a preview and book your room, visit www.titanichotelbelfast.com.