IHG - Intercontinental Hotels Group plc

04/26/2021 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 04/26/2021 09:44

Glasgow's voco Grand Central Hotel projects a bright future

IHG Hotels & Resorts [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is a global hospitality company, with a purpose to provide True Hospitality for Good.

With a family of 16 hotel brands and IHG Rewards, one of the world's largest hotel loyalty programmes, IHG has nearly 6,000 open hotels in more than 100 countries, and a further 1,800 due to open over the next five years.

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC is the Group's holding company and is incorporated in Great Britain and registered in England and Wales. Approximately 350,000 people work across IHG's hotels and corporate offices globally.

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voco™ Hotels combines the reassurance of a big brand with the informality and charm of an individual hotel, providing guests with a dependably upscale experience. The name, voco™, means 'to invite' and 'call together' originating from Latin, representing the brand's thoughtful, unstuffy and charming nature. voco™ Hotels combine memorable moments and high-quality touches, from indulgent amenities to big, comfy beds. Guests will always get a warm welcome during a swift check in, a comfy room perfect for unwinding and relaxing, and vibrant bar and restaurant spaces that provide plenty of opportunity to connect and socialise. For more information and to book, visit www.vocohotels.com, and stay connected with us on Facebook www.facebook.com/vocohotels, and Instagram www.instagram.com/vocohotels.
The recently refurbished voco Grand Central Hotel opened in 2021 following a multi-million rebrand to become one of Scotland's first voco™ hotels, part of IHG Hotels & Resorts.

The expansive refurbishment updated 230 bedrooms, meeting rooms and reception areas enhancing the historic charm and existing grandeur of the Grand Central Hotel with bold branding and a distinctive new identity. A contemporary fresh palette of blues and voco signature yellow compliments the original Victorian architecture throughout the 19thcentury great British railway hotel, preserving memories of the hotel's golden age, the stories of which are much loved by visitors to the hotel and Glaswegians alike. Guests can enjoy a new gallery wall featuring artworks created by the Scottish public which remembers many of its celebrity guests including John F Kennedy, John Lennon and Frank Sinatra.

The hotel bar Champagne Central, overlooks Central Station and evokes the golden age of travel. Serving champagne, cocktails, afternoon tea and a new tapas menu celebrating the best of Scottish produce, guests can enjoy an afternoon or evening surrounded in glamour.

From its opening in 1883 as a British Railway Hotel, The Central Hotel as it was known for many years has long been a place where people would come together to spend special times. Connecting the second city of the empire to London, the evolution of the railway and its hotel offered increasing numbers of Victorians who could afford it the opportunity to take holidays in Glasgow, perhaps on their way to the Highlands and Trossachs. Leisure time was more freely available than it had ever been and many new pastimes evolved, including the enjoyment of tearooms, for which the palatial interiors of the hotel suited greatly.

The hotel was at the heart of innovation and global history including the first ever long distance television broadcast by John Logie Baird, from London to a room on the Hotel's fourth floor. It was also where a young John F Kennedy met the survivors of the Clyde Built liner The Anthenia, sunk by a U-boat in 1939 with many Americans on board. It was his first visit to the UK, having been sent by his father the US ambassador to support the survivors.

In the hotel's golden age many of Hollywood greatest stars walked through its doors on the corner of Hope Street and Gordon Street, including Gene Kelly, Sammy Davis Junior, JFK, Vivien Leigh and Frank Sinatra. Since then it has continued to occupy a place at the heart of many Glaswegians who chose to celebrate weddings, Christmas and birthdays there; home to the city's awards ceremonies and charity events, it's greatly revered at Glasgow's most loved hotel.