Planning go-ahead for luxury Belfast hotel

A £12m plan to transform the old Scottish Mutual building in Belfast city centre into a luxury boutique hotel has been given the green light by planners.

The company behind the development plans is Tullymore House Ltd., which also owns the Galgorm Resort and Spa near Ballymena.

The new hotel is expected to provide up to 180 new full and part-time jobs.

Colin Johnston, project manager, told LCN recently that he was delighted by the news:

“These plans have been carefully based on our belief that we can add real value and worth by turning this landmark building into a contemporary and stylish venue which will sit comfortably alongside the city’s best hotels,” he added. “We look forward to starting work and watching the hotel take shape as this impressive building once again becomes a landmark for the city centre.”

Tullymore House Ltd. hopes to have the hotel ready to trade by the summer of 2016.

As part of the upgrade, two bars and two restaurants are planned for the ground and first floor areas in the 1904 grade B1 listed building, which straddles Bedford Street and Donegall Square. There are also plans for a large ‘seated’ function room for more than 120 people on the second floor, which captures the magnificent views over the City Hall gardens, in addition to a further two smaller function rooms to accommodate either private dining, business events or other functions.

The upper three floors in the 42,000 square foot, five-storey building will be upgraded to accommodate up to 40 hotel bedrooms and 10 serviced apartments.