Holiday Inn Express Cheltenham marked a new beginning for the hotel at a relaunch party celebrating the completion of an £800,000 refurbishment.

The hotel, which is operated by the UK’s leading independent hotel management company, RBH, hosted a VIP event with a ‘New Year, New Us’ theme.

Guests enjoyed live local entertainment, spa treatments including manicures and hand massages from Chapel Spa Cheltenham and tempting catering from locally family run Hey Pesto and Bensons the Juicers as they toured the newly refurbished hotel.

Among the guests were Catriona Murray, President of the Chamber of Commerce, and Deputy Mayor Sandra Holliday, who made a speech during the evening.

Deputy Mayor Sandra Holliday, said:

"This is a popular venue for the thousands of visitors who are attracted to Cheltenham for business and leisure purposes each year, and it’s great to see this investment in the hotel.

The continued charitable activities and support within the community the hotel team provides also deserves great recognition. Both the hotel and the team are assets to the town and, in turn, help Cheltenham to thrive and prosper.”

The refurbishment works have brought the hotel in line with Holiday Inn Express’ Generation 4 standards. Continued investment is planned for the property, namely the outdoor terrace where works are due to take place ahead of the summer season.

Akshay Karkera, General Manager of Holiday Inn Express Cheltenham, said:

"We believe the recent renovations have transformed the hotel to position us at the forefront of excellent and affordable accommodation in Cheltenham.

We are the accommodation partner for Cheltenham Chamber of Commerce and a number of large scale events coming to the town this year including The Gloucestershire Business Show and Gloucestershire Pride. We are really proud of the new look and loved showcasing the hotel to special guests on our relaunch night. We can’t wait to welcome more guests during our busy year ahead.”