Following on from Hull’s success as the UK city of Culture in 2017, the city is now set to benefit from over £110m of investment in its hotels and venues.
The destination has seen significant investment in its events infrastructure in recent years and the momentum continues. Earlier in the year, Hull welcomed the opening of the new £25m DoubleTree by Hilton, the city’s first branded four-star hotel. The venue includes a 1,000-seat, pillar-free conference and events space with its own dedicated entrance as well as 165 bedrooms and Marco Pierre White restaurant.
City-wide investments also include a major refurbishment of Hull New Theatre, Ferens Art Gallery and Hull Minster.
The Hull New Theatre re-opened with a Royal Ballet Gala performance and since their respective transformations the Ferens Art Gallery has welcomed The Turner Prize and Hull Minster hosted The Turner Prize Award ceremony dinner attended by over 200 guests.
Opening imminently is the Bonus Arena, a new £36m arts and conference venue that includes a 3,500 standing capacity concert auditorium with flexible seating. It also boasts 1,200sqm exhibition space plus an 800-seater conference auditorium.
K2, meanwhile, is a new £7m pioneering space in the heart of the city with 13 floors of combined use. The venue includes a business centre, serviced offices and apartments, leisure outlets, dedicated space for meetings and events as well as a roof terrace providing 360 panoramic views of the city.
Over at the University of Hull several refurbishment projects have been completed, including a £7m makeover of its dining and conferencing facilities and a £9.5m redevelopment of Middleton Hall, which includes a concert hall, cinema and tiered conference facilities.
Significant investment has also been made to refurbish and enhance the Mercure Grange Park Hull’s conference and bedroom facilities.
The city centre has also seen the opening of boutique style aparthotel the Hideout which is furnished with locally sourced and crafted products.
Stephen Brady, Leader of Hull City Council, said: “It is a very exciting time for us all in Hull with many developments already completed or nearing completion, changing the city’s skyline completely. The investment into the city and its facilities is testament to the success of Hull as the UK City of Culture last year and enhances our appeal as a major destination for conferences and events.”
