Existing building and rationale

The Columbia Hotel requires significant refurbishment, modernisation and enhancement. There has been relatively little change since the five townhouses were first adapted to hotel use in the 1920s.

The key issues that must be addressed are:

• The building’s existing mechanical and electrical services have reached the end of their useful life and require replacement with new, more efficient and sustainable plant and equipment

• Many of the hotel’s guestrooms are small and poorly configured

• The ground floor rooms are hard to navigate and poor in terms of accessibility

• The existing roof and external facade is in poor condition and leaks are common

• The 1980s extension to the north elevation of the building is poorly constructed and badly designed.

With this in mind, the hotel is only able to command pricing associated with that of a budget hotel, which, when added to the rising costs of running and maintaining the building, means its future as a hotel is in doubt.

Our plans, which include general building improvements and delivering more and better hotel accommodation, are therefore crucial to securing the building’s long-term viability.

Breathing new life into The Columbia will be achieved in a manner that minimises any harm