The famous Midland Hotel will reopen in June 2008 as the first hotel operated by Urban Splash property developers. There will be 44 bedrooms and facilities for conferences and weddings. I don’t doubt that this will become a destination again because people are interested in the building. Good information on the architecture, Eric Gill art and history of the Midland can be found from these links:
The twentieth century society on the Midland Hotel
We met Olivier Delaunoy, Operations Director for Urban Splash Hotels, who conveyed his genuine excitement and commitment to the building and their restoration. He told us if it had been left for a year longer it would have been destroyed forever due to the 1m of salt water in the basement damaging the foundations. The artworks by Eric Gill remain and have been restored – only the map relief of Morecombe Bay and the Lake District had to be moved, as a section of wall, to make the spaces work for the new hotel. Olivier speaks about added value through quality design, the hotel bedrooms will be furnished from 18 different sets of furniture that will be available to purchase, showing they know not only how to respect and work with the design history of the Midland, but also how to appeal to their earmarked market. Prebookings are already underway with guests coming from Canada, Europe, Australia as well as Morecombe, paying £109 for a standard room (no sea view), to £209 for a suite on the front. There didn’t seem to be a great deal beyond the hotel and landscape for wealthy visitors – 2nd hand book-shops, Aldi and so on, but we stumbled upon what must be the best cafe so far, ‘Artisan Deli’ 296 Marine Road Central for excellent scones and cinnamon toast.