BLACKROD has a new hotel - The Jarvis International, Bolton.

The 100-bedroom Georgian house is being given a new name by Jarvis Hotels plc, the company which bought it in November, 1995 from local builders William Hargreaves Ltd.

Jarvis has 67 hotels and feels that this acquisition is of a high enough standard to join eight other "Internationals" in locations such as Heathrow Airport, Birmingham and Watford.

A £250,000 investment programme is due to start this month with a view to being completed in September.

General Manager John Metcalfe said: "We have worked very hard over the past 18 months to ensure we kept our existing customers happy whilst successfully encouraging new companies to sample what I believe to be a hotel experienced in satisfying the most demanding of international travellers."

The investment involves re-furbishing the Regency restaurant and bar and re-naming it the Jarvis Club Room.

Cascades will become a sports bar and the old bedroom wing of the hotel will be converted to provide additional business and training facilities for nearly 50 delegates in the new Summit Conference Centre.

Mr Metcalfe says the increase in business recently has been "astronomical" and that they are looking forward to increased demand for accommodation as the nearby Middlebrook development (including Bolton Wanderers' new stadium) takes shape.

The Georgian House was created by William Hargreaves Ltd from a 240-year-old former doctor's house.

After it opened in March, 1974, it grew from its original 10 bedrooms to become one of the biggest and best-known hotels in the area.

The re-naming comes after a successful trip to Maidstone for the company's annual award ceremony.

Mr Metcalfe received £2,000 to spend on the holiday of his choice for his 30-year long service award.

Bronwen Taylor was given £1,000 as Sales Manager of the Year and Lynne Little took away £250 as one of the group's 67 hotel quality champions.

Manager Christine Griffiths received £1,000 for the Hotel Social Fund as leader of the Finance Team of the Year.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.