Hilton Glasgow’s £1.7m refit plan

15th August 2011, 11:03am

The Hilton Glasgow hotel has undergone a £1.7 million refit to its grand ballroom and 63 of its bedrooms. Designer Liz McNeil explains to Eat Out how she has created a warm, welcoming and elegant space.

These latest renovations are part of an ongoing refurbishment plan that has seen a multi-million pound investment into Hilton Glasgow by over the past four years.

McNeil from 10 Design explains:

What was your aim when designing this venture?

Our aim for the bedrooms was to create a timeless interior, which is warm and welcoming. For the ballroom we strived to create a dynamic yet elegant space that could adapt to suit various types of functions.

How did you achieve this? For example what fabric/furniture did you use?

We used a rich colour palate of russet red, taupe and chocolate for the bedrooms. These colours were combined in a sophisticated silk stripe curtain fabric and stunning coordinated damask style fabric on the bed throws. The oversized bedside lamps add glamour and the Led reading lights, either side of the bed, provide guests with tailored functionality. 

The high back Morgan wing chair is upholstered in a plush chenille which is warm and inviting. The leather swivel desk chair provides business guests with a high level of comfort.  All of these elements combined provide the room with dynamic impact and timeless beauty.

What would you describe as the key/unique features?

The specially commissioned black/white photographs of Glasgow Architectural detailing (Art school – Macintosh details) in beautifully mounted in bronze textured frames are a key and unique feature in the bedrooms.

Where did you get your inspiration from?

For the bedrooms the brief was to retain existing casegoods and refurbish. We therefore tailored our scheme to be in keeping with the classic styling of these existing casegoods. We took inspiration from classical interior design style, fabrics used in such interiors tend to be elegant yet reserved and colour palates were often inspired by nature. This formed the starting point of our scheme.

In the ballroom the basis of the scheme centered around the design of the carpet. Very large areas require bold use of pattern and colour and we worked alongside Ulster carpets to come up with a bold organic and free flowing design to compliment the existing layout and retain a real feeling of elegance. Again we took our inspiration from classical interior design styling.

What is the size of the venue?

Hilton Glasgow has 319 bedrooms. Our contact was for the refurbishment of 63 bedrooms across three floors (21 per floor). The ballroom and breakout areas cover approximately 1700m2.

Timetable, how long did it take from start to finish?

The bedrooms were refurbished over a nine week period (three weeks per floor). We had a very tight turn around time for the ballroom and the works were done across an eight day period. Therefore all work had to be very carefully programmed.

What are your plans for the future?

10 Design will continue to grow and hopes to seize opportunities to prove to new clients that we are a highly committed and dedicated team.

What do you like most about the venue?

I love working in the Hilton Glasgow. I am in almost every week and feel like one of the staff now. The hotel has a very friendly and welcoming atmosphere.

Fit out cost?

Bedrooms - 650k
Ballroom - 100k
Remaining areas including lifts etc – 950k

If you were to change anything on the design, what would it be?

We wouldn't change anything with our design however if budget wasn't a consideration we would have loved to include new casegoods in all the bedrooms.

Do you think you used the space to the best of your ability?

Yes, space planning is a very important aspect and we reconfigured some of the bedrooms to improve their layout.

Tell me about some of your other projects?

We have just completed the full refurbishment of a hotel in Ayrshire; the Dumfries Arms Hotel. This included the refurbishment of an existing building and a large new build element. The hotel consists of a 300 person ballroom, large reception lobby, lounge bar, private dining area, 100 cover Bar/Restaurant area and 26 bedrooms. The completed job looks stunning and our 3d visuals of the project can be viewed on their website http://www.dumfriesarms.co.uk

We are also currently involved in the refurbishment of another Hotel in Ayrshire, Lochside House Hotel. Works include a new 15 bedroom extension block, New Build Spa development (see link http://www.lochside-hotel.com/lochside-house-hotel-spa-resort.php) and New build Bar / Restaurant Area.

Hilton Glasgow
1 William Street, Glasgow, G3 8HT
0141 204 5555
www.hiltonglasgow.co.uk

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