Take a look inside one of Portsmouth’s best hotels after its £5m refurbishment
Work on the 174 bedrooms at the Marriott Hotel in Portsmouth has now been completed and hotel manager Martin Waters says customers have been delighted with the new look.
The hotel, in Southampton Road, has seen the rooms completely gutted and refitted with new mod cons such as USB chargers by the bed, powerful hairdryers and smart televisions.
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The work has also seen gold and brown cladding put up on the exterior and new windows fitted, eliminating noise from nearby roads and bringing environmental benefits by making the heating and air conditioning more efficient.
Martin said: ‘Everything is modern - and in keeping with Marriott’s high standards. The work has given it a fresh feel.
‘It is now up to modern standards with all the mod cons travellers expect these days.
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Hide Ad‘The hotel is part of a massive brand and we are the highest rated four star in the city but we needed to push things a little bit extra, that’s why we needed to invest.’
Each room has seen between £18,000 to £20,000 spent on it, fitting new bathrooms, with walk in showers on two floors.
The hotel has also improved its wifi connection, bringing extra bandwidth and speed, as demand rises from people wanting to use more than one device in their rooms.
Martin added: ‘The reaction from guests has been really positive. They love the rooms, especially as they are some of the most spacious in Portsmouth.’
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Hide AdThe work also saw the hotel – which employs 175 staff – close for five days in January to accommodate work to fit a new electrical board.
Now, the hotel chain is looking to refurbish its ground floor with its lobby, 11 conference rooms, bar and grill, gym and healthclub - with work hopefully starting this year.
Martin said: ‘We have had a successful year and we now looking forward to this year.
‘The demand in the city for hotel accommodation is steadily growing - there’s always an influx of people wanting rooms in Portsmouth.
‘We are now tuning our attention to our conference facilities and hopefully by improving those, we can bring a lot more business to the hotel - and in turn to the city.’