Gibraltar’s most iconic hotel, the Rock Hotel, yesterday evening celebrated the end of a nine-month refurbishment project which has transformed the building and brought it up to date.

The Rock Hotel team say that the restoration is to the highest standards but in-keeping with the stunning architecture and historical design of the original building. 

A new and welcoming lobby, comfortable bedrooms, refurbished corridors and lobbies and banquet terrace work to enhance the hotel’s unique combination of “colonial style with sophistication”.

Charles Danino, the Rock Hotel’s general manager, said: “The Hotel’s 1930’s origins are evident in the subtle colours and timeless décor which combines elements of Gibraltar’s colonial heritage with more contemporary touches.”

Built by John Chrichton-Stuart, the Marquis of Bute in 1932 it was acquired by its present owners, The Bland Group in 1959. Like the Raffles Hotel in Singapore, The Rock has been a magnet for royalty and the rich and famous.  As well as Sir Winston Churchill, Errol Flynn, Alec Guinness and Sean Connery, John Lennon and Yoko Ono stayed at the hotel and exchanged their wedding vows in one of its private rooms. 

More recently the Rock Hotel has been the venue for BBC’s ‘New Tricks’ which was shot on the property while the cast stayed in the hotel which remains the preferred choice for visiting celebrities and dignitaries today. These famous visitors are soon to be immortalised at the hotel when it introduces its ‘Hall of Fame’ gallery.

Bland Group Chairman, James Gaggero, said: “The Rock Hotel is Gibraltar’s jewel in the crown and I am proud that my family has been associated with this landmark property since 1959.  It has now been restored to its former glory and we are committed to providing the very best hotel experience that Gibraltar has to offer.”