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Since 2016, Switch’s flagship hotel, Park Regis Birmingham, has established a strong reputation as an industry-leading meetings, conference and events venue.
With a premier conference space, the ‘Sky Loft’, Park Regis hosts around 80 events per month and provides first-class service for more than 75,000 delegates every year.
The quality and versatility of its meeting rooms provides guests with the opportunity to host any event with confidence - from corporate meetings and training sessions to award ceremonies and product launches.
Here, find out more about the relaunch of Level 16 at Park Regis, and how this created one of Birmingham’s most in-demand conference and events spaces.
Formerly the location of a run-down 1960s office block, the doors to the newly converted Park Regis opened in the heart of Birmingham in April 2016.
With a rebuild cost of over £50m, the transformation resulted in an iconic addition to the Birmingham skyline and Park Regis quickly became one of the city’s most sought-after hotels.
As part of the original development, a Japanese-themed bar and restaurant, Rofuto, was built on the hotel’s 16th floor. Initial interest was substantial, and a lengthy waiting list formed prior to the official opening. However, with fierce competition from a thriving city centre filled with restaurants, bars and other eateries, Rofuto struggled to maintain a high level of covers and the profitability of the space was reconsidered.
In 2018, Switch identified an opportunity to utilise the space in a way that would significantly change the dynamics of the hotel.
A £650,000 investment to transform the 16th floor into the ‘Sky Loft’ - a 1,250 sq. ft. open-plan events space, with floor to ceiling windows boasting a 360° view of the city – has made it one of the city’s leading conference venues.
Additional meeting rooms and breakout areas were also added to the 15th floor, increasing capacity to a total of 500 conference delegates.
Not only did this change in strategy help to deliver higher revenues and profits, but it also meant a significant shift in the type of business the hotel could accommodate. Park Regis was now able to host large-scale events, exceeding the covers that Rofuto was in a position to deliver, and further establishing the hotel as a leading meetings and conference space.
The relaunch of Level 16 at Park Regis followed six months of in-depth analysis and was project-managed under the name “Project Altitude”.
Ahead of the official opening, our sales team started to sow the seeds in the market for what was coming, using the strapline “take your events to the next level!”
As one of the city’s “go to” corporate destinations, ‘Sky Loft’ at Park Regis has become a place to meet, entertain and celebrate. Following the launch, profitability of Level 16 increased from -16% in its previous restaurant guise, to +32% as a meetings and event space.
In the first year of opening, the hotel accommodated 8,085 residential conference rooms which quickly increased to 12,204 in 2019. Today, the figure stands at 20,700 - a reflection of the ongoing dedication and passion of the Park Regis sales team, and their commitment to providing the ‘gold standard’ at every touchpoint.
Following the successful launch of ‘Sky Loft’, the hotel received widespread industry recognition, including The Business Desk Midlands award for investment in 2020, and accreditation as a specialist Pharmaceutical and Healthcare events venue in the same year, the only venue in Birmingham to receive such accreditation at the time.
Park Regis also won ‘Best Independent Venue’ at the 2020 Conference & Hospitality Awards, and in 2023, was named in the top three for ‘Hotel of the Year’ at the M&IT Awards - after winning the prestigious Gold award for Best UK Hotel at the 2022 and 2021 ceremonies.
John Angus, Managing Director at Switch Management, said:
“As the flagship hotel in our portfolio, Park Regis continues to cement its reputation as an industry-leading meetings, conference and events destination, and the ‘Sky Loft’ space is a prime example of the team’s commitment to delivering first-class service and exceptional facilities, ensuring we can exceed the expectations of every guest.
“The project to relaunch Level 16 reflects our in-depth understanding of the changing needs of the hospitality sector. Following the opening of ‘Sky Loft’, we successfully navigated the challenges of Covid-19 and today, continue to receive five-star feedback from our corporate clients, thanks to the hotel’s unique strengths in customer service and amenities.”
For more information about Park Regis Birmingham, click here.