Ambitious plans that would signal the full restoration of one of Portsmouth’s most glamorous and beloved hotels have been lodged with city council planners.
A planning application to restore the fourth floor of The Queens Hotel Portsmouth and deliver an extra 22 rooms has been submitted for approval, alongside a planning application for two new apartment buildings to provide 89 new homes.
The work will bring the top floor of the hotel back into commission and it is estimated the extra rooms will boost the local economy by up to £2m a year.
Director Farid Yeganeh explained the significance of the application.
“When we first took on the restoration of The Queens Hotel back in 2017, we hoped that one day we would be in a position to complete the work and see the fourth floor once more welcoming guests.
“It is an iconic space and if permission is granted, we will see the room where Mr Bean* famously stayed coming back into use,” he said.
Each year thousands of people stay at the hotel and during their stay they spend up to £5m in the local economy. The estimates of the economic impact are based solely on room rates and if events and weddings are taken into account, the figure would be substantially higher.
“The Queens Hotel brings people to the city and during their stay they will use taxis, eat out in restaurants, cafes and bars as well as shop and visit our city’s wealth of attractions.
“The Queens plays a vital role in the vibrancy of the city and the extra rooms will mean even more people can enjoy the delights of Portsmouth in style, “said Farid.
The Queens Hotel employs 110 people and General Manager Paul Playford has championed apprentices in the hotel. His career started in the hospitality industry on the government’s YTS scheme. Working in hotels in Hampshire and London, he rose from a trainee to become Head Chef before becoming General Manger at the Queens.
As well as being the official hotel for Portsmouth Pride, the Queens is also the venue for the annual Portsmouth and South Coast Business Week.
In recognition of the amazing work the hotel did during the pandemic, creating 600 meals a week for vulnerable people across the city, The Queens Hotel was awarded the Freedom of the City.
The new apartments, housed in new buildings on Osborne Road and adjacent to Homeheights, have been sensitively designed to be of the highest quality and fit into the surroundings of the area, respecting the historic nature of the hotel.
They will go some way to helping to address the housing need in the city, whilst also significantly improving the appearance of the former casino on Osborne Road, which has sadly fallen into a state of some disrepair.
