21st Century

Ken McVey acquired the hotel in March 1997 and immediately embarked on a multi-million-pound renovation programme. The first-ever total reconstruction of the 'St Ann's Place' wing was carried out, in the course of which a completely new and extremely elegant entrance and reception area were built, three fully air-conditioned conference rooms (two with their own private balconies) were constructed, a new residents' bar - the Governor's Bar - was opened, the Library was refurbished, nine state-of-the-art luxury bedrooms and junior suites were opened and lift access was provided to enable guests with walking difficulties to reach all of the hotel's public rooms and most of the bedrooms.

Every other room and corridor was redecorated over the following 18 months and a programme started to convert the remaining rooms of the main building to the standards established in the Ann's Place wing. This programme continues and now all the rooms have en-suite bathrooms, modern telecommunication and television systems and many other luxury features that could never have been contemplated by the guests of all those years ago. But one aspect has not changed - although The OGH stands close to the busy town streets, within its elegant walls and corridors there is peace and a sense of history and bonhomie which the Victorian originators of the Old Government House Hotel would certainly recognise and we believe appreciate as we hope you will also do.