The Celtic Manor Resort has opened its new Coldra Court Hotel and plans to invest more than £2m in upgrading the property.
The new acquisition will see Celtic Manor safeguard the jobs of more than 100 staff working at the hotel, which had been trading as the Hilton Newport until contracts were officially exchanged at 1.00pm on Thursday 31st March.
New Hotel Manager, Matthew Barnby (pictured second left with his team) said, 'We are excited to be officially opening the Coldra Court Hotel by Celtic Manor and we are delighted to welcome the hotel’s talented and experienced team of staff into the Celtic Manor family.
'The Coldra Court is a four-star hotel in terms of facilities but we will run it with the same five-star service standards associated with the Celtic Manor Resort.
'We will be investing more than £2m in upgrading the hotel over the next three years, beginning with a phased refurbishment of the bedrooms. We will also be introducing a new restaurant concept and looking to update the conference and banqueting facilities in the near future.'
The Coldra Court Hotel has 148 bedrooms, taking the Celtic Manor’s total bedroom stock to almost 600 when added to the 330-room Resort Hotel, the 19th Century Manor House, the Newbridge on Usk, and 10 Hunter Lodges.
The Coldra Court also houses the newly rebranded Springs Health Club with swimming pool, spa bath and gym, Seasons Restaurant, and nine conference and meeting rooms, including the Severn Suite which can seat 220 people for a celebration dinner. TVs in the bars will be upgraded to include Sky Sports channels.
Located just a few minutes from the Celtic Manor Resort, the Coldra Court enjoys the same direct access to Junction 24 of the M4 motorway.
Barnby added, “The Coldra Court Hotel is an exciting development for Celtic Manor and the additional bedrooms will be very welcome as we keep up with a growing conference and leisure market across the resort.
“Families and leisure guests will benefit from access to all the activities and restaurants at the Celtic Manor Resort as well as the facilities within Coldra Court. We aim to provide a very welcoming environment not just for hotel residents but also for people in the local community looking to pop in for a drink or Sunday lunch.”
Barnby takes over the management of the hotel having worked at the Celtic Manor Resort for 13 years and across a variety of departments. He played key roles in the resort’s successful hosting of the 2010 Ryder Cup and the 2014 NATO Summit and, through his different postings, he has acquired the breadth of skills and experience required of a hotel manager.
Barnby concluded, “I am really looking forward to the challenge of managing the Coldra Court Hotel. I feel I have learned a great deal about all aspects of hotel management during my time at Celtic Manor and I am looking forward to bringing this knowledge to Coldra Court.”