Following on from Hull’s success as the UK city of Culture in 2017, the city is to also benefit from over £110m investment in its hotels and venues.

The iconic, northern destination has seen significant investment in existing and new build developments in a bid to attract high profile events to the city. The list of developments in the city and the East Yorkshire region is endless with the majority already completed.

Earlier in the year, Hull welcomed the opening of the new £25m DoubleTree by Hilton which is the city’s first branded four star hotel. The venue includes a 1,000 seater pillar free conference and events space with its own dedicated entrance as well as 165 bedrooms, rooftop bar and Marco Pierre White restaurant.

City wide investments also include a major refurbishment of Hull New Theatre, Ferens Art Gallery and Hull Minster. The Hull New Theatre re-opened with a spectacular Royal Ballet Gala performance and since their respective transformations the Ferens Art Gallery has welcomed the prestigious annual art award The Turner Prize, whilst Hull Minster hosted The Turner Prize Award ceremony dinner attended by over 200 guests.

Opening imminently is the Bonus Arena, a new £36m state-of-the-art music, arts and conference venue which already has a varied programme on offer. The centre includes a 3,500 standing capacity concert auditorium with flexible seating which can accommodate up to 2,500. It also boasts 1,200m2 exhibition space plus 800 seater conference auditorium.

K2 is a new £7m pioneering space in the heart of the city with 13 floors of combined use. The venue includes a business centre, serviced offices and apartments, leisure outlets, dedicated space for meetings and events as well as a roof terrace providing 360 panoramic views of the city.

University of Hull has recently completed several refurbishment projects including a £7m makeover of its dining and conferencing facilities and a £9.5m redevelopment of Middleton Hall which includes a concert hall, cinema and tiered conference facilities.

Significant investment has also been made to refurbish and enhance the Mercure Grange Park Hull’s conference and bedroom facilities. The city centre also saw the opening of boutique style aparthotel the Hideout which is furnished with locally sourced and crafted products.

Stephen Brady, Leader of Hull City Council, said:“It is a very exciting time for us all in Hull with many developments already completed or nearing completion, changing the city’s skyline completely. The investment into the city and its facilities is testament to the success of Hull as the UK City of Culture last year and enhances our appeal as a major destination for conferences and events.”

Adam Parry
Author: Adam Parry

Adam is the co-founder and editor of www.eventindustrynews.com Adam, a technology evangelist also organises Event Tech Live, Europe’s only show dedicated to event technology and the Event Technology Awards. Both events take place in November, London.