I’m born and bred in Blackpool and we're doing this to create something different that people are proud of
‘We’re doing this to create something different for Blackpool that people can be proud of.’
Following the grand opening of The Glass Tower, Blackpool’s newest seafront hotel, the group behind the £3.5m refurbishment have said they want to showcase Blackpool as the best place in the world for hospitality and customer service.
Purchased by Central Beach Leisure in March 2025 and subjected to a massive £3.5m refurbishment, the iconic Royal Carlton on Central Promenade announced its reopening as The Glass Tower at an opening night event on April 11.
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The luxury boutique hotel, which boasts 38 rooms as well as a new restaurant and bar called XI open to both the guests and the public, has now been open for a week, with a Central Beach Leisure Director saying that the public response has been hugely positive.
“It’s been stressful, but the response has been amazing,” said the Director. “People walking past have been popping in to have a look and most of them have ended up having a drink or a meal with us. People want to see what we’ve done and I love that.
“There’s a lot of pride in seeing it do well because we’ve been so obsessed with building deadlines that suddenly having people in for food and drinks makes it all very real,” he added. “But we’ve enjoyed it - we live for hospitality and I love seeing people with smiles on their faces.
“I’m born and bred in Blackpool and so I know Blackpool is the best place in the world for good customer service. We had a couple in from Lytham who said ‘this is fantastic, we can come somewhere else that isn’t Lytham!’”
Work on the hotel, which included a complete redevelopment of the ground floor, was completed by a trio of Blackpool-based companies: Joseph Boniface Architects designed the hotel, Thompson Contractors - which helped create Gordon Ramsay's Lucky Cat Restaurant - worked on the bar and restaurant, and Investworth Homes planned and furnished the hotel rooms.
“Feedback so far has been excellent, particularly regarding the food and cocktails, which are standing out,” said the Director speaking on behalf of Central Beach Leisure. “We knew the food would go down really well because we’ve got a really good chef, but I think we’ve also hit the right balance with the menu.
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“People staying at the hotel love the décor and what we’ve done with the rooms, so that’s good. And the staff have been a massive plus for me - the first time they properly worked together was last Saturday, but they’ve been amazing.”
Central Beach Leisure has spent a total of more than £15m on the hotel and premier serviced accommodation schemes in Blackpool and on the Fylde coast. Luxury serviced accommodation owned and managed by the business includes Park Road Suites, 59 St Chads Road, Pleasure Beach Apartments and Breck apartments on Poulton le Fylde.
“It’s 100% given us the bug to take on other projects,” said the Director. “Everything’s growing massively and things have picked up a lot quicker than we expected in terms of bookings alongside the positive feedback for the restaurant, so it’s been great.
“We’re doing this to create something different for Blackpool that people can be proud of.”