Eighty new jobs are to be created as a multi-million pound extension to a Belfast hotel is unveiled this weekend.
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The Merchant Hotel in the city's Cathedral Quarter has undergone a £16m refurbishment, which has seen the number of bedrooms double.
The hotel has spread from Waring Street to High Street, adding on almost forty bedrooms. The style adopted is art deco.
The bold aim is to transform the Merchant from a niche hotel to a Grand Hotel.
The owners of the five star venue have told UTV that despite the tough economic climate the investment was worthwhile.
"I want the Merchant to be one of the best hotels in Ireland," said Bill Wolsey.
"I would go further than that and say that I want the Merchant to be one of the best hotels in the world.
"I think that your level of ambition is set by the management and I don't see why we can't achieve that."
Petra Wolsey added that she still has confidence in the tourism industry, even at a time when spending has dropped.
"From my experience at the luxury end of the market, you're a little bit more impervious to the outrageous slings and arrows of economic fortune," she said.
"We are quietly confident about how we do it.
"There is still an appetite for nice things. Where people maybe once went to Paris, they still want to treat themselves so they come to us instead."
© UTV News