Northern Ireland hotel group Hastings Hotels is set to open the Grand Central Hotel in Belfast in June 2018 – the centrepiece of a £60m investment programme.

When open, the 304-bedroom property will become Northern Ireland’s largest hotel and will feature a restaurant, rooftop lounge and retail units.

The property is on the site of the original Grand Central, which was built in 1893 and was at its peak the thriving hub of Victorian Belfast.

“At £53m, Grand Central Hotel represents our company’s biggest single investment to date,” said Sir William Hastings, chair of Hastings Hotels.

“I‘m extremely proud to be able to pay tribute to a much-loved property of the past by naming Belfast’s newest hotel after it.

“The Grand Central is a legend reborn and to celebrate this we have created a building wrap which will be changed at regular intervals before the hotel opens.

“It will help tell the story of the hotel as it is being built and pay tribute to some of the local companies we are working with who are each playing key roles in helping Hastings Hotels create this major development.”

The opening is part of a £60m investment made into the Hastings portfolio. As well as the new Belfast hotel, the group has invested £10m in upgrading its existing hotels.

Founded by Sir William Hastings over 50 years ago, the group currently owns and operates six hotels – including the five star Culloden Estate and Spa and the historic Europa hotel.