The Normandy Hotel is in
Renfrew
Renfrew (; sco, Renfrew; gd, Rinn Friù) is a town west of Glasgow in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. It is the historic county town of Renfrewshire. Called the "Cradle of the Royal Stewarts" for its early link with Scotland's former ...
, Scotland. It is on the
A8 road, near
Glasgow Airport. Construction of the hotel was completed in 1973.
History
The hotel opened as ''Stakis Normandy Hotel''. It was part of a portfolio of hotels, health clubs and casinos, known as
Stakis Hotels. The group was one of Britain's largest hotel companies. It was owned by
Reo Stakis. In February 1999 the
Hilton Group bought out Stakis in a deal worth £1.16b. Prior to the sale, many of the Stakis properties were divested to other hotel chains or closed completely, Hilton only retaining the most prestigious such as the Glasgow Grosvenor and the luxury Dunkeld House in
Perthshire
Perthshire (locally: ; gd, Siorrachd Pheairt), officially the County of Perth, is a historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, ...
. This led the way for the Cosmopolitan Hotel Group who also own the
Erskine Bridge Hotel to buy the Normandy in February 1998 for £6m.
Hotel
The hotel has 141 rooms spread out over 4 floors. There are also conference suites, a restaurant, bar, free Wi-Fi and wedding facilities available. As the hotel is sited close to
Glasgow Airport it offers park and fly facilities.
Argyll Stone and St. Convals Chariot
A pair of historical stones are situated within the grounds of the hotel. One stone is a
pediment called ''Argyll Stone''. It is said that the
Earl of Argyle
Duke of Argyll ( gd, Diùc Earraghàidheil) is a title created in the peerage of Scotland in 1701 and in the peerage of the United Kingdom in 1892. The earls, marquesses, and dukes of Argyll were for several centuries among the most powerful ...
once rested at the rock in 1685. The other rock is the base of a cross called ''St. Convals Chariot''. The cross was erected to the memory of
St. Conval. Water gathers within a small hollow on this rock. It is said that the water has healing potential. The stones are enclosed behind steel railings on a small woodland path and are approximately 1m in length, height and width.
Gallery
File:Normandy Hotel Renfrew - geograph.org.uk - 646290.jpg, Hotel and grounds
File:St Conval and Argyle Stones - geograph.org.uk - 1705873.jpg, Argyle stone and St. Convals chariot
References
{{reflist
1973 establishments in Scotland
Hotels in Renfrewshire
Renfrew
Hotels established in 1973
Hotel buildings completed in 1973