THE owners of Grimsby's former Hotel Elizabeth - which has undergone a £1.75-million refurbishment - have revealed plans to create Lincolnshire's biggest conference centre at the venue.

As reported, the landmark hotel was bought by Icon Hotels Ltd in January after the previous owners went into administration and was given its original name, The Humber Royal Hotel.

Since then, an extensive programme of work has been under way to refurbish the Littlecoates Road venue's 52 bedrooms, corridors, reception area, bar and lounge.

At a glitzy opening ceremony on Thursday night, co-director Tony Kaye said the next stage of the renovation is to overhaul the conference facilities by February or March next year.

He said: "When we took over the property, it was very tired and we aimed to produce a modern, stylish hotel that represents great value for money.

"The next step for us is creating a new conference centre by knocking the old restaurant and conference hall into one.

"It will be the biggest conference centre in Lincolnshire with room for 750 people or 400 diners."

For the full story, including residents' reactions to the refurbishment, see today's Grimsby Telegraph.