£1m investment announced for Beech Hill

The House Collection – a business partnership which bought the Beech Hill Hotel in Derry-Londonderry last autumn – has said that it is to invest £1m in the venue.

The hotel, which had been owned by the O’Kane and Donnelly families, is now the property of brothers, Adam and Barry Kemp and their business partner, Sam Harding.

Word of the investment came recently during a successful application at the Crown Court in Derry-Londonderry to increase the licensed area of the hotel in order to accommodate an extension.

The court heard that plans were in place to build an orangery-style conservatory in the basement. The development will involve converting three basement bedrooms into a bar and restaurant, leading onto a large patio area. Longer term, the main bedroom area of the hotel is also to be extended.

In an interview with this magazine in January, Sam Harding revealed that the partners’ vision for the 400-year-old hotel involved repackaging it as a leading Irish wedding venue.