New hotel ‘to be in harmony’ with Vittoriosa Waterfront architecture

Works were well under way at Vittoriosa Waterfront to build a five-star hotel and restore two Baroque palaces by 2013, Parliamentary Secretary Jason Azzopardi said.

During an inspection of the works last week, Dr Azzopardi said the €18 million project would ultimately employ about 280 people, with another 40 engaged in the building and restoration works.

The 100-room hotel will occupy a vacant space near the Casino di Venezia and extend to two adjoining palaces. It would be built in harmony with the architecture of the area, Dr Azzopardi said.

The palaces would be restored to their 17th century condition, having been damaged in World War II and lying in an abandoned state ever since. They would be restored in a way that respected their history and would form part of the hotel, Dr Azzopardi said.

A staircase, which used to lie between the two palaces and was destroyed during the war, would be rebuilt to allow residents to access St Laurence Street from the waterfront.

Spearheaded by the Port Cottonera consortium, the works would form another link in the regeneration of the area, which should be completed by 2012.