UK hotel chain QHotels, has kept its promise to invest heavily in the Ashford International Hotel in Kent, which the company acquired in July 2006. The property is to benefit from a ”7.5m ($10.1m) upgrade project involving all rooms, business and leisure facilities.
The first phase of the refurbishment, already underway, concentrates on getting all 179 guestrooms up to the company”s four-star standard. Air conditioning, wi-fi access, LCD televisions and laptop safes will be added, as well as an additional three junior suites.
Ashford International Hotel boasts the largest conference facilities in Kent, with 12 meeting rooms and these will be extended further when three brand new meeting rooms are added. Existing areas are to be fitted with air conditioning, state-of-the-art conference facilities, wi-fi and all will be redecorated. The Mountbatten Suite, which accommodates up to 400 delegates, is due for completion in May 2007.
Other improvements include extending the leisure facilities to three times their current size, to create a health, fitness and spa zone called Reflections, which will be fitted with Technogym equipment and six treatment rooms. Final renovations to the hotel involve the bar and restaurant, which will be fully refurbished and extended to include a landscaped terrace.
”This is a really exciting time for Ashford International Hotel,” said general manager, Deirdre Billing. ”It is such a well-positioned venue with an amazing scope of facilities and with the investment from QHotels the venue will finally be able to realise its full potential as a leisure and corporate destination.”
