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© Design Squared
from the breakout area on a double-height corridor. This is given definition by striking lampshades and oblongs of dark wood jutting into the passageway. The rooms are colour coded with big splashes of pink, purple or red. At the end of the seminar room corridor lies a second recep-
tion desk and entrance which greets visitors to the ballroom - wedding guests or attendees of charity functions. The separate entrance is served by a different car park, bar and space for a cloakroom. This means that if there are two events in the audi- torium and the ballroom, delegates can be kept apart from each other. The ballroom with its bespoke Swarovski crystal chandeliers
like inverted pyramids is inspired by a winter garden (such as the Victorian Crystal Palace) and was being hung with a sheer curtain around the perimeter as I visited. It seats 450 theatre style and 350 in a banquet setting. “The curtain will soften the overall space,” says Adams. “It’s quite a neutral backdrop, but it gives you the opportunity to dress it as you like whether it’s with chair coverings or a high-level of graphics or projected imagery.” A ballroom breakout space runs alongside an internal glass
partition and also providing access to the courtyard. It can be a place to chat, serve lunch or act as exhibition space for events in the ballroom. The partition means the function bar adjoin- ing the ballroom can service two different events and the ballroom itself divides into three. The space is served by its own kitchen so food does not have
to be carried all the way from the house next door and an ante room provides plenty of storage. The new hotel is clearly a dream come true for an excited
Ractliffe, with its improved levels of comfort, contemporary styling, natural daylight and wealth of different spaces. In fact, she has already sold several million pounds worth of bookings before the new hotel has opened. The key, she tells me,
is variety: “Because they’ve got the delegates cooped up in the same place from one to three nights, companies like them to use as many dif- ferent parts of the space as they can,” she says. “We can offer different venues, so the delegates are getting a more varied experience. And we as a company can target a higher-end blue chip company that we haven’t been able to in the past.”
Main Contractor – Galliford Try (Design & Build) M&E – MJN Colston Joinery – Samaca (Bars & Banquettes), Broughton (Reception Desk/Break out booths), Europa (Bedroom Case goods/public area washrooms), AMS (Bedroom desks & Headboards) Metalwork – NRG Fabrications Furniture – PTT (Soft seating and public area furniture), Burgess (Meeting Rooms & Conference furniture) Carpets – Ulster Carpets Fabrics – Kvadrat, Texture Ltd Wallcoverings – Vescom, Tektura Curtains & Voiles – Scopos Signage – Ascot Signs Artwork – Spires Art Photography – David Fisher Specialist Lighting – Aurora UK Ligthing Controls – Lutron Audio Visual – Asysco ProAV Bedroom TV's – Acentic
Artist’s imparession of the ballroom
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