The Albert Hotel in Hull To Host VIP Relaunch Following £1M Refit

The Albert Hotel in Hull is having a VIP relaunch night to unveil its £1million transformation, including a complete remodel of the interior and gardens.

The pub, on Anlaby Road, will welcome guests including some of Hull’s favourite sports stars on Thursday November 9 as it reveals a new look ahead of an official reopening on November 10.

The Albert is one of the first to be taken on by pub redevelopment specialists Authentic Alehouses which aims to revitalise locals across the country.

Investing in under-performing pubs with potential, it plans to retain the values of a traditional British boozer but add modern décor, a broader range of drinks such as craft ales, and more entertainment.

Authentic Alehouses has teamed up with The Albert’s landlord and landlady Phil and Mandy Shannon, who took over as managers 17 months ago, to turn around the pub’s fortunes.

“We used to live two streets away, so this was our local for quite a few years, but we stopped coming here because it had gone down,” said Phil. “We’d never run a pub before in our lives – I’m a builder by trade – but when we came here last spring we believed we could make a real difference and take it back up.

“Authentic Alehouses saw that potential too and knew that, although we’d polished it up and increased turnover, there was still room for a lot more improvement with the right investment and support.”

A major revamp has seen The Albert totally remodelled inside with a new bar and all new seating, and gardens extended at the front and completely renewed at the back. It’s also had a large 3m x 1.5m LED wall installed, which is perfect for watching live sports.

“The gardens are a big feature for us, especially on matchdays when they’re absolutely packed for about two hours before kick-off and then straight afterwards,” added 56-year-old Phil.

“We have such a great location here, just five minutes’ walk from the stadium, so the atmosphere is fantastic when there’s a game on. But it’s not just rugby and football fans we want to appeal to, and we think these improvements will help us attract a much wider crowd as well.”

Phil says the launch night will be a chance to show off the redesign, thank regulars for their loyalty and welcome new customers.

“We’ve all worked really hard to turn The Albert around, and it’s definitely pointing in the right direction now so we’d like everyone to come and see for themselves and celebrate with us.”

Allan Harper, CEO of Authentic Alehouses, said The Albert Hotel was a perfect example of what the company plans to do to help revive the pub industry.

He said:

“The Albert has so many things going for it, but it had been neglected before Phil and Mandy took over as managers and the regulars had been let down. We recognised that with investment, and by adding value, we could make it somewhere that customers love again.”