As demand grows for hotel accommodation in Belfast, one established facility, Ten Square, in Donegall Square South, has unveiled plans for £60 million expansion - with a boost for employment in the beleaguered construction industry at the same time.

The hotel will increase bedroom capacity from 23 to 108 while adding facilities such as a swimming pool, large conferencing facilities and expanded bars and restaurants.

The new development will create additional considerable employment in the ailing local construction industry.

Connor McGuigan from CMG Planning, who piloted the architectural project alongside Stephen Gallagher from Belfast-based architect firm BDP, said: "This project is a welcome sign at a time when we are being confronted with an extremely deflated construction industry.

"It is a very prestigious development on a key city centre site and will certainly be one of the biggest construction projects in the city when work commences.

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"We anticipate that there could be approximately 100 site staff on this job when it is at its peak. Furthermore, the boost to tourism and the service sector will be significant," he said.

The hotel's General Manager, Kevin Smyth (pictured) said: "This is a very exciting time for this hotel and we are delighted that, even in a time of economic downturn, we can look to the future in a positive way. We are confident that this expansion will only add to the attractiveness of the city as both a business and tourism destination.

"Belfast is now a thriving European destination and Ten Square is proud of the part it has played in that confidence and prosperity. The time is right to once again reinvest for the future."

The expansion will bring a much needed jobs boost to Belfast, bucking the current trend of rising unemployment and business closures.

The hotel currently employs 75 staff and this is set to more than double when the expanded development opens for business in the near future.

The nine-storey expansion to the back of the hotel on Linenhall Street and a six-storey addition to the front on Donegall Square South will afford panoramic views across the city while providing much needed bedroom capacity and top quality conferencing facilities in Belfast city centre.

The new expansion will incorporate deluxe rooms, junior suites, penthouse suites and an underground swimming pool, as well as valet parking.

Ten Square, which opened in 2001, is building on its ongoing success having been voted the city's Best Hotel in 2006 by Belfast Chamber of Commerce and earning the accolade of one of the 'six sexiest hotels in the world' by Cosmopolitan Magazine.

See: Belfast's 'Coolest Hotel' Sold To Co Down Developer

(BMcC)