A North East leisure group opens its £2m rooftop bar and restaurant at a city centre hotel this weekend.
Gainford Group first revealed plans to create Above, a new venue on the roof of the Vermont Hotel in Newcastle, more than two years ago, but the arrival of the pandemic led to the firm pausing work.
Under lockdown however, the project, which is also creating 50 jobs, was completed and first guests will take their seats on Friday, August 20.
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Gainford Group, which is based in Chester-le-Street and owns a number of bars, restaurants and hotels in Newcastle including the County Hotel and the Vermont Aparthotel, has carried out a complete overhaul of the rooftop terrace at The Vermont Hotel.
The rooftop cinema, bar, restaurant and wedding venue has been completed in two phases.
The first phase saw the creation of a luxury venue based inside a glass box, with 360 degrees views over the city, while the second created a multi-use leisure site capable of hosting rooftop cinema nights, weddings and conferences alongside the bar.
Taking up the whole footprint of the rooftop, Above will be interchangeable, allowing for weddings and conferences and themed events.
Director Imran Khaliq said: “It has been a long time coming but we are finally opening this weekend, and can’t wait for people to see it.
“It’s fully booked for the foreseeable future. As you can imagine, it’s been one of the most highly anticipated openings in the city for some time, so people have been very keen.
“Very few dates are available between now and Christmas, with weekends being the most popular.”
Gainford Group will now move onto its next project, the regeneration of the former Premier Inn on New Bridge Street. It is also developing a second rooftop venue in Newcastle, called Crescendo.
Earlier this year the company revealed that a mixed use tower will form a focal part of the hotel redevelopment.
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