Chester’s Queen Hotel unveils £15m extension

Mar 6 2009 by David Holmes, Chester Chronicle

Chester’s Queen Hotel unveils £15m extension

A HOTEL manager celebrated his a £15m extension with a barb for Chester.

Simon Williams, general manager of four-star The Queen Hotel, is angry the city has no theatre and that opportunities to turn the amphitheatre into a major attraction have not been grasped.

Mr Williams hopes the new Cheshire West and Chester Council and the Chester Renaissance organisation can make a difference.

“The fact there is not even a theatre in Chester is a disgrace,” he said. “Allowing the amphitheatre to become what it has become is a disgrace.”

The new five star King’s Suite complements the existing accommodation, adding an extra 87 bedrooms to the 218-bed venue, creating 80 jobs and making it the largest hotel in Cheshire.

In keeping with Chester’s historic roots, the hotel has collaborated with the Grosvenor Museum to display 2,000-year-old Roman colonnades, excavated in the city, alongside a reconstruction of a Roman centurion’s armour and helmet.

The historic theme continues with each new floor celebrating a royal line back from Scottish kings to, appropriately, Roman emperors.

The extension includes a conference and banqueting centre, restaurant, and the ‘Kings Quarters’, a VIP executive club bar and lounge on the ground floor offering ‘a chic environment’ to enjoy evening drinks and cocktails.

Mr Williams said: “We saw there was a gap in the market in Chester for businessmen during the week who wanted the same type of facilities they have got in Manchester, London and Liverpool – and Chester just didn’t have it.

“At the weekend we cater for the discerning traveller who is looking for the quality you would normally get if you were going to Barcelona.”