Off Topic Hull City Centre Public Realm Strategy

That's the death knell as a decent hotel.

 

Ahhh, and there's me thinking that the old girl definitely needs some TLC and hopefully Britannia Hotels would provide it. Shame that. I assume their other hotels aren't up to much then.

 

Having stayed in a few Brittania Hotels on National Coach Holidays the last one at Newcastle Airport, which was fine. I have to say that they do vary. So it's a hit and miss guessing how Station Hotel will work out

 

Having seen so many pictures of buildings in Hull on Facebook that are no longer there I despair, of course many were removed courtesy of Adolf Hitler but not all. If I had to pick a favourite old picture it would be one of the old Prudential Tower that was destroyed.

 

My sister and her husband went to watch a play in Scarborough a few weeks ago, and they decided to stay the night in the Grand, and it wasn't very Grand.

 

Agree John, but this hotel is similar to The Metropole in Blackpool, another Britannia owned one I think, and both of these hotels were built for a different age and the Grand would have lived up to its name in a different era. Opulent I would say they are but have got dilapidated through lack of maintenance and investment and unless substantial investment is forthcoming they these once proud hotels will only deteriorate even more.

 

That in a away is the sad part, these old hotels really deserve to be brought back to their original grandeur, but they seem to only fall in to the hands of the cheap and cheerful providers.

 

Which presumably reflects customer unwillingness to pay to stay in an older and more opulent hotel. Maintaining an old building in a grand state costs money.

I like the Royal Station. It's my toilet stop of choice on Saturdays when City are at home.

 

I think that sums it up perfectly.

 

Not sure about customers not willing to pay, plenty of affluent people would pay a premium price to stay there if it was reconned to a premium standard.

The problem is that it is much cheaper ( cost effective ) to build new. Steel frame and cladding plus the chance to build higher, not 200 yards away from the Royal Station is the Holiday Inn and they are building on the old LA's site a Hilton or Hyatt.

I love to stay in old hotels when possible, you just have to put up with a few quirks.

 

Should look fine as long as they maintain them every year instead of like some cities I have been with similar seating and dont' bother, the seats then take on a deathly grey look that beging to splinter and break up, just like any wooden garden fence that lacks a lick of sealing.

 

People willing to pay premium prices for older hotels like the Savoy, Claridgess, King George in Paris, Amsterdam in Amsterdam, Hotel Griiti in Venice.
Of course location is a factor. Hull, Sunderland, Leicester and Middlesbrough won't attract the patrons of those places no matter how good the hotel.