Glasgow company Forrest Group will make an eye-catching first foray into the hotel business by building a Radisson Red hotel beside the Clyde, which is scheduled to open in early 2018. The hotel will be Europe’s first new-build for the stylish Radisson Red brand, targeted at young travellers, that opened its first property in Brussels in April this year.
The £30millon, 176-bedroom Radisson Red will be built on a site near the SECC, the Clyde Auditorium and the Hydro. The hotel will be operated and managed by Radisson but will be the first hotel owned by Forrest Hotels, a subsidiary of Glasgow-based Forrest Group.
Forrest Group CEO Chris Trainer said: “This is the group’s first venture into the hotel sector and we will be very much involved in all aspects of the building and ongoing management of the hotel and are very excited to be working with our excellent partner (Radisson parent company) Carlson Rezidor.
“Carlson Rezidor has a wonderful track record in hotel management and that was one of the reasons we chose them. The project is one we, as a group, are very excited and optimistic about. It will also be a major economic contributor to the city.”
The ten-storey building will boast a sky bar with views across the city, a restaurant, deli and gym. The developers also plan to build two state-of-the-art digital screens on the building which will promote forthcoming events at nearby venues.
Trainer added: “Radisson Red will be unique and iconic in its architecture and a great addition to the city’s skyline. The changing colour of the building throughout the day – reacting to the natural daylight – is a really interesting and innovative feature.”
Donald Stewart, Managing Director of Forrest Developments, said: “We are hugely excited about the building of the first purpose built Radisson Red in Europe. It is particularly pleasing we are working with such a blue chip company as Carlson Rezidor and the global success that accompanies them.
“It will also mean at least 60 new job opportunities for the people of Glasgow.”
As some of these design concepts by Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group prove, this will be a hotel with a strong personality. The Radisson Red concept will encourage more visitors to the city while providing a place for locals to work or relax in what is fast becoming one of the most exciting parts of the city. The fact that Radisson Red will be coming to Glasgow is a major feather in the city’s cap and a nod to our status as an exciting destination for young travellers.
Forrest Hotels have confirmed that this hotel development will be the first of further new properties in Scotland.
