The owners of what was once Birmingham’s most iconic hotel have unveiled a £30 million scheme that they hope will bring it back to its former glory almost a decade after it was forced to close its doors.

If approved by city planners, the Grand on Colmore Row will be transformed into a luxury hotel with 152 rooms and eight new suites while restoring its listed facade, renovating its famous Grosvenor Suite and recreating its main “Grand” staircase.

With plans set to be submitted, subject to consultation, within weeks, Tony Green, chief executive of hotel owner Hortons, believes it is a scheme that will put the building back where it belongs.

“Of equal significance to the bedrooms and the facade is the hotel’s role in the city,” said Mr Green.

“When people talk about the Grand it is not about the bedrooms but it’s about the historic meeting that was held here or who stayed here at such a time.

"Yes, we are doing all this to the hotel but of equal importance is creating a place where great and good Brummies can come together and that can only be done by creating a great hotel again.”

While Hortons will not reveal details, it is understood that one of the biggest hotel brands in the world is waiting in the wings to sign up to operate the hotel if Birmingham City Council gives the proposals the go-ahead – a far cry from when the hotel faced partial demolition nearly a decade ago after its previous operator had financial troubles and the building fell into increasing disrepair.

In the end the crumbling facade along Colmore Row, along with the magnificent Grosvenor Suite, were listed following a campaign led by the Victorian Society and while offices and shops have remained in use, the hotel has remained empty with safety netting along the length of the building to protect pedestrians from the risk of falling masonry.

The Grand was given new hope at the end of last year when Hortons announced that a restoration programme carried out by Arup and Linford had successfully restored a section of the facade that conserved its original character and despite the huge costs of the restoration, Hortons has decided to attempt to bring the hotel back to life.

However, Mr Green is clear that there is still a long way to go in the project, although with no hitches he believes it could be open to the public again by Christmas 2013.

“What we have done now is devise a plan to reintroduce the former hotel which we believe can be implemented in a commercially viable way but there is a long way to go before we get permission for these plans,” he said.

“We have the designs but until we get planning we are nowhere. If we do get support, we need sign off from the Secretary of State which can’t be taken for granted.

“If all of this is achieved we then need to find a hotel operator and a building contractor who can undertake such a highly specialised contract at a price which enables the project to remain financially viable and hope the economy remains stable.

"To achieve all of these things is a huge challenge but we are committed to following the process to the end, whatever that is.”

Under the proposals – which will be available to view in full at 23 Colmore Row on January 11 and 12 – the hotel will see the number of rooms reduced from 230 to 152, with air conditioning throughout, with eight new suites – including two with roof terraces in previously unusable roof space.

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