The landmark five-star Lowry Hotel has completed a £4 million refurbishment which General Manager Adrian Ellis has hailed as the culmination of a remarkable ‘transformational year’.A comprehensive makeover of the 165-room hotel has been taking place since September 2014, when it changed hands in a multimillion-pound deal. And guests now enjoy an enhanced resident experience through the introduction of new SMART TVs and Wi-Fi, alongside new curtains, carpets, fabrics and colour schemes throughout the bedrooms and public areas.
Healthy financial results in 2015 have provided the foundations for the refurbishment, says Mr Ellis, which will be followed by a programme in 2016 to refurbish the spa and the banqueting suites. The experienced GM, who has managed prestige hotels worldwide in a 25-year career, says that the hotel’s new look includes the purchase and commission of some original art.
Manchester’s rock history is a key part of the changes, as seen in the purchase of iconic rock images by legendary Salfordian photographer Kevin Cummins, including four large format images which greet guests in the lobby.
The refurbishment is also marked with ten new large-scale photographs on each floor by published and exhibited photographer Allan Grainger, from the Isle of Man, of familiar Manchester locations. This new commission of, in Grainger’s words, “tableaux that capture the rhythms and atmosphere of the city, and its historical past,” are displayed in the corridor and lift areas of the guest floors.
A changing art gallery in the bar every six weeks by Comme Ca Art complements existing work in the hotel including a striking hanging installation by David Begbie and works by contemporary Northern landscape painter Liam Spencer.
Mike Godfrey, head designer, JRP interior designers, says: “We thought it fitting that The Lowry Hotel, based in what was once the heartland of manufacturing and industry, should be able to contribute to the local manufacturing economy. We managed to do this without compromising on quality and have been able to select beautiful products that look as though they have been sourced from the far corners of the globe.”
Cliq Designs, of Manchester, supplied the guest room soft furnishings, with RHA Furniture producing most of the upholstery and re-upholstery work in their Nottingham factory. Contra Curtains of west Yorkshire provided all window treatments, while Northern Lights of Chesterfield also supplied beautiful lighting features for some guestrooms.
