One of Belfast’s five-star hotels has just started a £2 million refurbishment of its central Belfast building, which will add around 20 additional rooms.

The Fitzwilliam Hotel will invest the money in refurbishing existing rooms, converting the eighth and ninth floor meeting rooms into guest rooms and adding an additional penthouse.

The second phase of the hotel’s refurbishment follows an initial £2m refurbishment completed in November 2016, which saw an upgrade to the lobby, 113 rooms and facilities.

The increased capacity is said to create 17 new front of house, bar and restaurant and accommodation hospitality jobs. Total employment in the hotel now reaches 100.

Cian Landers, general manager of the Fitzwilliam Hotel, said the move was in response to high demand.

“The hotel industry in Northern Ireland is experiencing strong growth and we are delighted to be able to add to the city’s supply of quality hotel accommodation as demand increases,” he said. “Following completion of this phase, Fitzwilliam will have invested a total of £4m over the past two years and we plan to make further investment and expansion announcements in the near future.”

Edgewater Contracts is the main contractor for the project.

“This is a 26 week project that will last until the end of July. Our challenge is therefore to work seamlessly behind the scenes, without impacting guests, to ensure that the Fitzwilliam maintains its five-star service throughout the stay,” said David Harte, Project Manager.