McKeever group invests £1.5million in historic hotel
An ambitious £1.5 million refurbishment project has been unveiled at one of County Antrim’s best-known hotels by its new owners.
The Adair Arms Hotel in Ballymena was bought by the McKeever Hotel group – owners of Corr’s Corner Hotel and the Dunsilly Hotel – in late January.
The company got to work straight away and phase one of the re-development – renovation of the 200 seat function room- has just been completed.
Over 120 guests attended the launch yesterday (23rd June) of the new conference and banqueting suites. Guests included Mayor Maurice Mills and Chamber President Raymond Ruck.
Now designs for 44 bedrooms have been finalised and plans for a new entrance, reception, lift, staircase and grill bar have been submitted for planning approval.
“This hotel was built in 1846 by Sir Robert Adair and it was designed by architect Charles Lanyon – who also built the impressive Lanyon Building at Queen’s University,” explained Managing Director Eugene McKeever.
“Because the façade of the hotel is listed, we are very conscious that we are retaining the original charm of the building while adding all the modern conveniences inside,” he added.
Each of the bedrooms is unique and will be designed to emphasise the character of the original building
Both the menu and the design of the bar and grill area will have similarities to the McKeever groups other successful hotels. “Both Corr’s and Dunsilly incorporate lots of stonework, cosy booths, sumptuous carpeting and beautiful lighting. We’ve already changed the menu to a less formal offering that is served all day long,” Mr McKeever added.
The Adair Arms employs 40 people and is the only hotel in the town centre of Ballymena.
“The Adair Arms fits perfectly into our portfolio of hotels and it gives us the chance to bring a great food and excellent conference facilities to the heart of this county Antrim town,” he added.
Chamber President Raymond Ruck said “Chamber is delighted with this major investment in the Adair Arms Hotel. Tourism will be a growth area in the years ahead and this investment will help not only the Adair Arms but also Ballymena to tap this lucrative market. I wish the McKeever Hotel Group every success with this venture”.