Plans in for £6.5 transformation of riverside hotel

Plans have been unveiled for the redevelopment of the landmark Royal Hotel in the heart of Llangollen. The total investment in the venue would be in the region of £6.5m.If Denbighshire County Council approves the plans, the Royal Hotel – which has been empty since 2019 – would be redeveloped by One Hundred Knights, a company that is behind the nearby Tyn Dwr Hall wedding venue, the Three Eagles, Bar & Grill, and The BLK Sheep Baa & Grill.The planning application for the Royal Hotel – which is grade II listed and dates back to 1752 – has been submitted by local business partners Tom Bellis and Matt Jones. They have owned the hotel since 2019.Matt Jones said the proposed redevelopment would conserve many of the historic characteristics of the hotel, and that refurbishment and development work would be undertaken with expert guidance from the Welsh historic environment service Cadw.The proposed development would include an extensive refurbishment of the hotel’s interior, with the addition of an upscale bar and bistro, as well as a new luxury spa wing. The spa wing would include plunge pools on a cantilevered super-structure, with spectacular elevated views over the River Dee.With a riverside location adjacent to the grade I-listed Llangollen Bridge, the 18th century Royal Hotel is a key part of the visual identity and heritage of the North Wales holiday town.The future Queen Victoria was a guest at the hotel with her mother in 1832, just five years before she succeeded to the throne. More recent visitors include the late Italian operatic superstar, Luciano Pavarotti.The new Royal Hotel development would include 45 bedroom suites, and is likely to generate in the region of 65 jobs and six apprenticeships per year. Matt Jones said that if planning is approved, he could reopen the hotel to guests as early as the summer of 2023.Jones added that his company is in the process of setting up the One Hundred Knights hospitality training academy in partnership with Coleg Cambria, and the hotel would take on six hospitality apprentices per year.