Galgorm gets 2 Million pounds upgrade
Upgrade and expansion to the famous Thermal Village and Spa
One of Northern Irelands best known Hotel and Spa Resort has announced a £2 million pounds investment into its Thermal Village and Spa.
The Galgorm Resort and Spa, in Ballymena, closed its doors in March this year after Northern Ireland went into lockdown because of Coronavirus.
Yesterday (Monday) the popular destination unveiled its new dramatically enhanced Thermal Village and Spa provision ahead of its reopening.
The resort, which is due to open this Friday, now boasts a suite of new attractions for spa guests, including a 10-metre infinity pool on the shores of the River Maine, a 200m2 Palm House relaxation area encompassing six heated loungers, and a brand-new Salt Room for halotherapy experiences.
With over 90% of its Thermal Village and Spa located outdoors, Galgorm has also installed two group hot tubs and saunas, three additional private hot tubs with waterfall views and six brand new riverside cabanas.
The investment was welcomed by First Minister, Arlene Foster, who visited the Resort yesterday (Monday) she said:
“A world leader for local tourism, Galgorm is undoubtedly a premier destination and, with more people choosing to vacation at home this summer, this investment into its award-winning spa facilities is timely and welcomed.
“As our tourism and hospitality industry focuses on rebuilding, it is encouraging to see one of the best-known businesses continue to invest and innovate, bolstering the recovering economy and cementing its reputation as a world-class destination.”
At the launch the First Minister said she hopes the new safety measures which have been put in place will give the public the confidence to come out and have a ‘staycation and holiday’ at home.
Meanwhile, there is still no definitive date from the Executive as to when swimming pools and spas will be officially reopened to the public.
Hotels, bars and restaurants have been able to open their doors since the start of July, but the Government is yet to give an indicative date as to when other facilities may open.
When asked about an update about the further relaxation of measures Arlene Foster said the issue is due to be discussed on Thursday by the Executive, when she hopes a more definitive time scale can be given.
Colin Johnston, Galgorm Collection Managing Director, outlined some of the new safety measures the Resort has put in place, he said:
“In addition, and as a priority, we focused on implementing safety measures throughout the Resort and we are delighted to be among the first hotels in the UK to receive the coveted AA COVID Confident Mark for our commitment to safety.
“We are also delighted to announce that all existing jobs will be protected with the creation of 40 additional jobs throughout The Collection.”
Mr Johnston says the Resort wanted to focus on the Spa, which now spans over an extra acre.
Due to the upgrade visitors can now spend their whole stay outside if they wish, with no internal access needed.
24 rooms have also been refurbished bringing them up to ‘superior’ standard.
“We’d be pretty confident what we’ve done mitigates against it and the spa was always a very safe area to be in, the chlorination of water, the UV lighting of water, the temperature that we run a lot of the rooms at and then a lot of the product we’ve now sourced and supply.”
For more information visit www.galgorm.com.