Interiors: Grand Central Hotel, Glasgow

Attending a property auction in Glasgow's Central Hotel a few years ago, Laurie Nicol could see potential. Underneath the peeling paint, threadbare carpets and despite the general air of desolation, Nicol had a feeling that with money - lots of it admittedly, and imagination, the Central Hotel could once again become the doyenne of Glasgow's hotel sector.

She was right. Fast forward to 20 January this year and the Grand Central Hotel officially opened its doors to a very curious public. After an 18 month refurbishment costing 20 million, everyone wanted to see what new owners Principal Hayley had achieved.

Firstly, they wisely installed Nicol at the helm, as she explains: "When I heard that Principal Hayley had bought the hotel in 2009, I approached them. I've been in the hotel industry for 20 years, and I thought this hotel could become a real Glasgow icon - I wanted to be part of that.

"They did interview other applicants but fortunately I was successful and I'm now the general manager."

The second thing the hotel group did was to uncover and retain as many of the original features as they could. The hotel's history is an eclectic one, with previous guests including everyone from John F Kennedy and Winston Churchill to Cary Grant, Roy Rogers and Trigger (allegedly Trigger had the bigger room).

However, it's probably best known as the venue to which the world's first long-distance television pictures were transmitted from London on 24 May 1927 by John Logie Baird.

The new dcor in the hotel does hark back to a bygone era of glamour and glitz, but it has also been given an injection of contemporary style.

"Some of the features were listed and they obviously had to be retained, but there were a lot of stunning features that just had to be kept for the wow factor," says Nicol.

"For example, in Champagne Central (the new champagne bar) the Italian marble floor was rediscovered under layers of carpet. The wood panelling and Italian marble pillars are also original; they just had to be professionally cleaned up.

"We also discovered three original glass chandeliers but although we couldn't salvage all three, they've been refurbished into two decent ones which now hang in the Tempus restaurant."

In the ballroom, the false ceiling was removed and the space now has one of the tallest ceilings in the city.Of course such ceilings have to be adorned, as Nicol explains: "The chandeliers were specially commissioned from Northern Lights in Chester, while the remainder of the interiors were designed by Principal Hayley's in-house team.

Charles Leon Associates in London, an architectural interior design company, worked on all the public spaces and commissioned the artworks."

Asides from capitalising on the famous names and faces that patronised the hotel in the past (just wander down the grand staircase for an insight), the new look also incorporates the hotel's railway heritage.

Designed in the Queen Anne-style by Robert Rowand Anderson, the hotel was expanded and adapted at the beginning of the 20th century along with the station, but the original architecture with its intricate gables and multi-paned windows remains.

The original hotel opened in 1883, four years after Central Station and today, with Champagne Central almost overhanging the station, you really don't get much closer than this to an authentic railway hotel.

This industrial heritage is reflected in the artworks around the hotel. Murals depicting Glasgow's industrial age dominate the dining room and many of the 186 bedrooms are themed around the hotel's links with the Caledonian Railway, although none is the same.

"This is an old building so no rooms are exactly alike in shape or size which is something I love. However, it's also quite a flexible property and I think we can be all things to all people," says Nicol.

"We already have a regular local clientele at Champagne Central and that's not just the staff at the end of a shift," she says, "The new restaurant has on-street access, as does the deli which is another new addition.

"This is to offer guests an alternative to a full restaurant experience, if they're pushed for time and it is also open to the public. We have everything the corporate traveller requires and we're ideally placed for holidaymakers wishing to explore Glasgow. With 21 meeting rooms and the fabulous ballroom we're perfect for functions and weddings too."

Only time will tell if the Grand Central Hotel will live up to its 'Grand' superlative, but with the care and attention lavished upon it so far it's certainly on the right track.

Grand Central Hotel, 99 Gordon Street, Glasgow, tel: [phone]

To make a reservation visit: www.principal-hayley.com/venues-and-hotels/grand-central-hotel

Epilepsy Scotland is hosting its annual Glasgow WAGS dinner at Grand Central Hotel on 28 April, tickets are now on sale at 65 each or 600 for a table of ten at www.epilepsyscotland.org.uk/fundraising

This article was first published in The Scotsman, 05 February, 2011