YORK’S only five-star hotel is celebrating the fifth anniversary since it opened following a £25 million project.

Thursday marked five years since the Grand Hotel & Spa opened its doors as a hotel in Station Rise.

The Grade II-listed building, known as one of York’s most impressive Edwardian structures, had previously been the home of the North Eastern Railway headquarters, a ‘Palace of Business’ for what was then one of the most powerful public companies in the whole country.

Now it is York’s only five-star hotel, with 107 rooms and 13 suites after being transformed under the Cedar Court Hotel Group.

The Grand has since been acquired by Splendid Hospitality Group, and is now planned to undergo a £15 million, two-year redevelopment, which will double its size.

Maria Florou, The Grand’s general manager, said: “We stand at the beginning of what is going to be an extremely exciting era for the hotel.”