Hotel’s £3m clubhouse aims to pull in championship golfers
Jun 3 2008 by Karen Dent, The Journal
A HOTEL firm boss is aiming to attract national golf tournaments to the North East after adding a £3m clubhouse to his championship level course.
The new facility at the 18-hole George Washington Golf and Country Club in Washington, which will be officially opened today by the Mayor of Sunderland Mary Smith, has created around 20 jobs.
Mukesh Chawla, who owns the course, country club and adjacent George Washington Hotel, said: “We want to attract competitions to take place at the course. We would like competitions at national level, that’s my ambition. It is a fantastic course. The only thing it lacked was a clubhouse.”
The clubhouse, which includes a 150-seat function room, changing facilities, bar and golf shop, completes the second phase of the hotel’s development. Mr Chawla has already sunk £2m into improving the golf course.
The next step of the hotel’s redevelopment is the building of a 1,000-seat conference and banqueting suite. Work is expected to start towards the end of the year, and Mr Chawla said it will create a further 50 to 60 jobs. The hotel currently employs around 100 people.
“This is a different league altogether. We should be able to attract conferencing and banqueting at a new level,” he said.
The Newcastle-based entrepreneur plans to add 43 bedrooms to the hotel in 2010 to complete its regeneration. Since taking over the 103-room George Washington, he has refurbished the bedrooms, bar and eating facilities and opened a hair and beauty salon.
Mr Chawla, who came to the North East as an occupational therapist, initially owned a number of care homes before moving into the hotel trade.
He is now looking to grow his Ailantus hotel chain which also includes four hotels based in Ilkley, Oldham, Manchester and Mere in Cheshire, when the right opportunity appears.
“I am already looking. I am dedicated to the North East and want to create as many business opportunities in the North East as possible,” he said.
