Northern Ireland: A former bank premises in the town of Omagh is being converted into a boutique hotel.
James Maccallan and his business partner Co Armagh have begun clearing out the building in the past week, marking the start of the renovation.
The former provincial bank, which is a listed building has remained empty for the past 10 years, without any major offers for purchasing. Current plans focus on the removal of modern materials and the preservation of the historic uniqueness of the building.
“We are trying to bring the building back to its former glory. It is a beautiful building which had fallen into disrepair,” said Maccallan. “We have started cleaning it out and people are stopping by and telling stories and recalling their memories of the building. They say it will be good to see it coming back to life again.”
Current plans include a bespoke restaurant and Whiskey bar, in addition to the hotel premises themselves. The cost is projected at around £1.5 million and £2 million, and should create upwards of 40 jobs, critical for the small town.
Renovated hotels are coming into fashion on varying levels of scale. Manor hotels, such as Billseley Manor, offer a large-scale level of luxury aiming for a classic European feeling, while in Raleigh, the site of a former psychiatric hospital gives one hotel a unique background to theme its design.
