Michelle Greeves elected President of Belfast Chamber of Trade and Commerce
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elfast Chamber of Trade and Commerce has welcomed Michelle Greeves , Centre Manager at Victoria Square , as the newly elected Chamber President .
Michelle joins as the fourth female and 105th President of Belfast Chamber of Trade and Commerce which was setup as the voice of the Belfast business community in 1912 .
Michelle takes over the chain from outgoing president Gordon McElroy who served for one term .
Speaking at the AGM , Gordon McElroy said that his year as President had been one of the most exciting , rewarding and busy of his career .
Gordon concluded his speech by welcoming the newly elected Chamber President and pledged to continue to help Belfast reach its full potential .
Michelle Greeves began by saying that she has come into the role with an immense sense of pride , passion and commitment .
She quoted Einstein saying we cannot expect to be “ doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results .”
She made a call for her Executive Council members and those in elected power to start thinking about how we might approach things differently in Belfast .
She said she wants her term to focus on what we can achieve and can influence and to pull together as the leading lobbying group and voice of the business community of Belfast to do just that .
Andras Hotels invest £ 5m in Holiday Inn Express
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elfast ’ s biggest hotel Group , Andras Hotels , has today announced commencement of a £ 5million extension to the Holiday Inn Express ®.
The Queen ’ s Quarter , Belfastbased property , which has been owned and operated by Andras Hotels since 1996 , will benefit from 60 new bedrooms befitting of the new ‘ 4th generation ’ Holiday Inn Express ® bedroom standards .
The contractor appointed is MSM Contracts who are also building the Hampton by Hilton property in Belfast city centre for Andras Hotels . Both projects are being funded by Danske Bank .
Holiday Inn Express , part of the InterContinental Hotels Group ( IHG ), is one of the worlds ’ most recognisable budget hotel brands , with 2,507 properties featuring 249,142 rooms worldwide .
Director of Andras Hotels , Rajesh Rana , said the local company has “ fostered an excellent partner relationship ” with IHG , which dates back to 1991 , and now sees Andras operating three IHG branded hotels in Belfast Holiday Inn ®, Belfast City Centre , Crowne Plaza Hotel at Shaw ’ s Bridge and
She made the example of how Brexit has changed the course of history but that it did have one huge silver lining for Northern Ireland . She has experienced firsthand the influx of visitors from the Republic of Ireland which have brought so much business to retail and hospitality in the city .
Michelle concluded that in the climate of change which we all face ahead of us that we must focus on the opportunities and maximise them to the best of Belfast ’ s benefit .
The new president will be supported by the Executive Council elected unanimously , including : Rajesh Rana , Andras Hotels ( Senior Vice President ), Christopher McCausland ,
McCausland Group ( Junior Vice President ), Michael Stewart , Madisons Hotel ( Junior Vice President ), Les Hume , Dawsons Music ( Honorary Treasurer ), John Lunn , Lunns ( Honorary Secretary ), Gordon McElroy , MKB Law ( Immediate Past President ). These senior roles will be joined by Council members : Alana Coyle , CBRE , Stephen Mewah , House of Fraser , Liam Creagh , Red Box Media , Anthony Best , Lacuna Developments , Peter Legge , Grant Thornton , Jo Bell , HLM Architects . New members include , Aileen McGrogan , Andrew Irvine , East Belfast Mission , Anne McMullan , Visit Belfast , Mark O ’ Brien , Bank of Ireland .
Holiday Inn Express ®.
The project , due for completion in April 2018 , will see 60 additional bedrooms over three floors with 60 car parking spaces , provided over two underground car parking decks and at surface level . Each new bedroom will have airconditioning , fresh modern decor , USB charging points , and stylish bathrooms . The hotel lobby and restaurant will be remodelled , complete with an allday café concept . The breakfast offering will also be upgraded to offer the Holiday Inn Express ® new standard including Grab and Go items as well as a full Irish breakfast – all of which are free for every guest . The hotel ' s five meeting rooms will be refurbished with new decor and new audio visual equipment .
Rajesh Rana , continued : “ We are in an exciting time for Andras Hotels . Work is progressing at Hampton by Hilton and we are now about to commence work with one of our longestrunning properties , Holiday Inn Express ®. sector . to the tourism market of Belfast and Northern Ireland .”
Andras House ’ s Rajesh Rana , with Robert Mackay and Lewis McCallan
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