Fifty years ago Cardiff was a booming waterfront city, using its busy docklands to transport goods from two major industries, steel and coal. But along with the UK’s other major industrial centres, the Welsh capital was badly hit by the 1980s recession and desperately needed a change of direction in order to survive.

It was the Cardiff Bay Development Corporation which first turned things around. Set up in 1987 as part of the British government’s Urban Development Programme, the organisation set to work on a £2.4 billion project, transforming the city’s neglected area of redundant docklands and useless mudflats into an upscale waterfront location.

In 1999, the opening of Cardiff’s impressive 74,500-seater Millennium Stadium gave the city another major boost, introducing thousands of football and rugby fans to the heart of the city. Delays in the building of Wembley Stadium meant that between 2001 and 2006, the FA Cup, Carling Cup, Football League play-offs and major Rugby League finals were all played in Cardiff, earning the city its reputation as a sporting capital.
“The regeneration of the bay was a massive investment, changing the face of Cardiff, working towards becoming a world-class city,” says Nicola Poultney, managing director of Cardiff and Co, the city’s marketing company. “But a new opportunity – for events especially – came while Wembley was being built and with the hosting of the Rugby World Cup in 1999.”

Now Europe’s youngest capital city is on the move once again, and its jagged horizon is cluttered with cranes. “We’re trying to create a new brand for Cardiff,” Poultney explains, “because whether you’re an inward investor, whether you’re coming here for a short break, or you’re responsible for deciding on the venue for a conference, it’s the image of a place that’s at the forefront of your mind.”

Cardiff works well as a business destination, with excellent road and rail links to the rest of the UK and an international airport located 12 miles west of the city centre. The M4 links the city with London and the rest of the south-west, while direct rail services depart regularly to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Nottingham, Bristol, and London Paddington.

One of Cardiff’s best features is its compact city centre. All of the main sights are within walking distance of each other and the bay is just a short train ride away. A ten-minute walk from Central station brings you to Queen Street and the heart of Cardiff’s shopping district, where Victorian and Edwardian arcades sit neatly alongside modern shopping centres, with the usual mish-mash of high street brands.

At the west end of Queen Street, Cardiff Castle is a striking example of the juxtaposition of old and new (although the new is rapidly overtaking the old) and a short walk north leads to the attractive tree-lined boulevards and Portland-stone buildings of Cardiff’s civic centre and university buildings.

The city’s three universities – Cardiff University, UWIC and the University of Glamorgan – keep the atmosphere young and vibrant. Around 10 per cent of the 300,000-plus population is made up of students, which accounts for the lively bars and neon-lit clubs that keep the city ticking over into the early hours.

The universities also attract conferences to the city through the Conference Ambassador Programme, which assists members (including professors from all three universities) in promoting Cardiff as a conference destination. “When they sit on the organising committees of national and international conferences, they are encouraged to put their hands up to vote for Cardiff as a venue for a future convention,” explains Poultney. Since its launch in 2003, the programme has generated £2 million worth of conference business for the city.
Cardiff is unusual in that it has an exciting medley of conference venues located right in the heart of the city.

“Most places will have one or two,” says Poultney, “but from whatever way you look at it, Cardiff has such a fantastic range on offer.” In June 1998, the 26 EU heads of government held their European Summit at the elegant City Hall, located in the civic centre, which helped to put Cardiff on the map as a successful conference city. A short walk to The Hayes takes you to Cardiff’s award-winning national concert venue – St David’s Hall – which seats up to 1,500 in its main theatre, while the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff Castle and the National Museum all have facilities for smaller meetings.

The city’s hotel scene has also seen some exciting additions over the last few years. In 1999, the Hilton group moved in, bringing life to a derelict office building in the city centre, while the four-star Park Plaza arrived in 2005, and the Marriott has just undergone a massive facelift to its conference and meeting rooms (see page 53 for a review). Serviced apartments have also begun to make an appearance, with companies like Saco, A Space in the City and Capital Apartments setting up in both the bay and the centre.

Until recently the city centre and the bay were largely seen as separate entities, but this also looks set to change. Cardiff Bay is gradually creeping towards the city centre and the centre is extending towards the bay, with a new building project – Callaghan Square – which will link the two. Located next to Central station, this 465 sqm mixed-use development scheme is set to become Cardiff’s new financial quarter. The first phase has been completed, attracting businesses such as ING Direct, Lloyds TSB and Black Horse Finance, with the second phase due to follow in Spring 2008.

Matt Phillips, partner of Knight Frank LLP, the letting agent for Callaghan Square, says: “One of the biggest commitments for the city is to reunite the centre with its waterfront, as it is such a short distance between the two. A few years ago the Callaghan Square area was just industrial wasteland, but developers have come in and the area between the bay and the city centre has just got better and better.”

He adds: “We are working with the Council and the Welsh Assembly government to try to get regional headquarters to move here. They are likely to want to be near the centre, so the bay or Callaghan Square would be a prime location for them.”

The bay itself is a thriving cultural centre, reminiscent of Sydney Harbour in terms of its iconic buildings and proximity to the city centre. Contemporary sculptures decorate the paved walkways which stretch from the glass-fronted visitor centre at the end of Harbour Drive, past clusters of stylish restaurants and bars, right around to the St David’s Hotel and Spa, which perches on the edge of Mermaid Quay, offering panoramic views of the waterfront.

Conference venues have sprung up here too, a result of ongoing public and private investment. The St David’s Hotel counts among its most prestigious clients John Lewis, Christian Dior, and the Welsh Assembly (whose building is located across the bay, with a glass-fronted extension pointing directly at the hotel). Around the corner from Cardiff Bay station, the Coal Exchange, once the central hub of Cardiff’s lucrative coal trade, is also available for hire.

But the bay’s obvious centrepiece is the Wales Millennium Centre, a striking structure designed to celebrate Welsh culture. Designed by leading local architect Jonathan Adams and home to the Welsh National Opera, the centre is counted among the world’s leading performing arts venues and can seat 1,900 people in its state-of-the-art Donald Gordon Theatre. Cryptic letters form the windows at the front of the building’s imposing steel dome, spelling out poetic sentences in English and Welsh, and the structure is made up almost entirely of Welsh materials.

Right beside the Millennium Centre, a £140 million building project is underway. The Cardiff Waterside development will result in 51,097 sqm of new Grade A office space, and aims to attract high-end businesses and organisations to the bay, on a par with those that have already moved in, such as Ofcom, Arup and the European Commission. Angela Parry-Lowther, head of marketing for Cardiff Waterside, says: “It tends to be very modern companies that set up business here, companies who care about the environment and want a good work-life balance for their staff. We want to offer the chance to get away from it all but still be in the heart of the city.” She adds: “The infrastructure’s getting better here, with trains running from the city centre every ten minutes. We’re finding that more and more companies are using the bay for conferences instead of going elsewhere.”

One exciting addition to Cardiff’s city centre will be a stylish new Radisson SAS, which is due to open in early 2009. The hotel will have 215 rooms, free high-speed internet access, and six meeting rooms covering an area of 550 sqm. Phillips of Knight Frank explains: “The hotel sector in Cardiff is experiencing rapid growth because visitor numbers are up and occupancy rates are very high. The city currently has 7,158 hotel beds and, between 2002 and 2006, the number of annual overnight visitors rose from 617,000 to 738,000.”

But Poultney points out: “Although hotel beds can fill up very quickly at weekends when a big event is on at the Stadium or CIA, demand goes down during the week, meaning that business people can benefit from competitive room rates.”

St David’s 2, a major retail development in the city centre, is likely to attract more overnight visitors to Cardiff. This 92,903 sqm extension to the existing St David’s Shopping Centre will open in 2009, transforming an area previously inhabited by blocks of ugly Sixties and Seventies office buildings, into a swish modern shopping mall. The development will include a 2,000-space multi-storey car park, 300 residential apartments and a new library. Rhian Riley, development marketing manager of Land Securities, which is developing the site in partnership with Capital Shopping Centres, says: “The library will have conference rooms and computer equipment that the public can use. It’s being built right in front of the Marriott hotel so it’s perfect for business people.”

The hope is that Cardiff’s new developments will reveal the city’s potential as a prime business and leisure hub. “Cardiff has been described as Wales’ best-kept secret,” says Phillips with a wry grin. “Generally people think ‘Why go to Wales?’ but once they come down here their eyes get opened and they start to think ‘next time I’m looking for a conference venue or a regional headquarters I’ll come to Cardiff’.”

Already the cranes are attracting attention. “People are curious about it,” Riley laughs. “We’ve seen people just stopping and staring because they want to know what’s going on.”

As I head towards the Marriott hotel, past the piles of rubble that will soon become St David’s 2, I can see Cardiff’s future rising up around me, punctuated by the constant whirr of drills and the tell-tale creaking of cranes. But even the cacophony of building work can not drown out the murmur of pride and anticipation, which ripples excitedly through Wales’ youthful and fast-growing capital.

Park Plaza Cardiff

WHAT’S IT LIKE? Opened in February 2005, the Park Plaza Cardiff houses one of the first Elemis spas to be found outside central London, and recently won the AA Hotel of the Year award for Wales. One nice touch is the 300-plus works of art, all created by Polish artist Izabella Leszczynska, which are displayed throughout the hotel.

WHERE IS IT? On Greyfriars Road, which runs parallel to Queen Street, Cardiff’s main shopping thoroughfare.

HOW MANY ROOMS? 129, including 78 Superior rooms, 40 Executive rooms, eight Junior suites and three one-bedroom suites.

ROOM FACILITIES All rooms are non-smoking and have stylish, contemporary décor with a brown and cream colour scheme. Standard amenities include a minibar, work desk, hairdryer, laptop safe, tea and coffee-making facilities, and an iron and ironing board. Wifi and wired internet is also available free throughout the hotel. Executive rooms, which have guaranteed views over Cardiff’s civic centre and are larger than superior rooms, come with a free drink and fruit basket, as well as dressing gown and slippers. I stayed in a one-bedroom suite, which had a large window facing City Hall. There was a flatscreen TV with 38 channels, pay-per-view films and TV internet, charged at £4.95 per 24 hours. The modern, slate bathroom had steam-free mirrors, and robes, slippers and toiletries were provided. As with Executive rooms it also had a generous-sized shower cubicle.

BARS AND RESTAURANTS The 100-seater Laguna Kitchen and Bar is an elegant space, done in dark wood and beige, with an open-plan kitchen and large windows looking out on to a terrace. On Sundays there is a set menu, offering two courses for £11.50 or three for £14.50. I opted for Welsh Rarebit to start, which arrived promptly and was served with smoked streaky bacon, mixed salad leaves and balsamic vinegar. For the main course, I had pumpkin and sage risotto, which was hot and very filling, followed by a deliciously creamy passion fruit cheesecake. Next to the restaurant is the Laguna Bar, which can also be accessed from the street. Large framed black-and-white prints and circle booth seating give this area a slightly retro feel, while the rest of the décor mirrors that of the restaurant. The bar is open every day until late, while the restaurant is open for lunch and dinner from 12-2.30pm and 5.30-10.30pm (Mon-Sat) or 12-9pm (Sun), as well as 7-10am daily for a hot and cold breakfast buffet.

MEETING AND BUSINESS FACILITIES There are five dedicated meeting rooms on the first floor, which all have natural light and can accommodate between 15 and 30 delegates each. A shared refreshment/breakout area is available, as well as a full range of technical equipment. For larger gatherings, the Park Suite holds up to 120 theatre-style and can be divided into four smaller spaces. It has a removable bar and frosted windows, letting in plenty of natural light. The Plaza Suite can be divided into two and accommodates up to 160 delegates theatre-style.

LEISURE FACILITIES Located on the first floor, the Laguna Health and Spa includes a gym, eight treatment rooms and a 20-metre heated pool. The gym is well equipped, with cardiovascular machines, weight machines, free weights and exercise mats.

VERDICT Personal touches make this hotel stand out, as do its top-of-the range dining and leisure facilities, smart modern décor, and friendly, helpful staff.

PRICE Fully flexible rates for a mid-week stay in early January started at £90.

CONTACT Greyfriars Road; tel +44 (0)2920 111 111, parkplaza.com/cardiff.

Cardiff Marriott

WHAT’S IT LIKE? This city centre property started life as a Holiday Inn before becoming a Marriott in 1996. The hotel has a modern, urban exterior and houses one of the city’s largest business capacities. The conference facilities have just been refurbished at a cost of £750,000, which included the conversion of two meeting rooms into Executive boardrooms, each with a large plasma screen, boardroom table and high-backed leather chairs.

WHERE IS IT? In Cardiff’s café quarter, just around the corner from Cardiff Central station and the Millennium Stadium.

HOW MANY ROOMS? 184, including 72 Double rooms, 61 Twin rooms, 13 King rooms, 35 King Executive rooms and three Suites. There are four smoking rooms.

ROOM FACILITIES All rooms come with new luxury bedding, and the décor is in tasteful reds, golds and greens. I stayed in a King Executive room on the ninth floor, which was spacious and comfortable, with a large window facing towards the Millennium Stadium. There was building work going on outside, but thanks to the sound-proofing it didn’t disturb me. The bathroom was well-lit, with Aromatherapy toiletries and a shower over bath. All guest rooms have a minibar, trouser press, laptop safe, air conditioning, ironing board and iron, tea and coffee-making facilities and a TV with 16 free channels and pay-per-view movie channels. I didn’t have a flatscreen TV, but these are being rolled out across the Marriott brand, and will be introduced to the Cardiff property by the end of next year. High-speed broadband wired internet access is available in all rooms and costs £15 for 24 hours (billed 12 noon to 12 noon). The hotel’s two executive floors have access to the St David Executive Lounge, which has free fax and photocopying facilities, a computer with paid high-speed broadband internet access and complimentary food and drink.

BARS AND RESTAURANTS The ground floor Mediterrano Restaurant serves a choice of Italian dishes, as well as traditional Welsh fare. It has a warm, homely feel, with a patterned carpet and pictures of fruit baskets on the walls. I had a delicious tomato and basil soup to start (£4.95), which came with melt-in-the-mouth croutons and warm bread, before moving on to a main course of seafood linguine (£12.95). The portion size was so generous I could only manage half of it, and so chose papaya and lemongrass sorbet for dessert (£4.95). Directly opposite the restaurant is Chat’s Continental Café Bar, which serves alcoholic drinks and snacks, and stays open until 1am (or later if it’s busy). The restaurant is open every day until 10.30pm and also serves breakfast (English or continental) from 6.30-11am (Mon-Fri) or 7-11am (Sat-Sun).

MEETING AND BUSINESS FACILITIES There are eight conference and meeting rooms, accommodating 20-150 delegates, as well as the Bardd Suite, which holds up to 400 theatre-style. Wifi is available through iBahn in the lobby, restaurant and bar (starts at £6 per hour), and there is a dedicated business centre on the ground floor.

LEISURE FACILITIES The Leisure Club is located on the ground floor and consists of a gym, pool and spa. To access the facilities you need to take your keycard to the separate reception, where you will be given a towel and locker key. The gym has weight training and cardiovascular equipment and large TV screens. The pool is heated, with wooden seating around the edge and novel blue underwater lighting. Hairdryers and toiletries are available in the changing rooms free of charge.

VERDICT A convenient and comfortable city centre hotel, with good business facilities.

PRICE Fully flexible rates for a mid-week stay in early January start at £118.

CONTACT Mill Lane; tel +44 (0)2920 399 944; marriott.com.

Other places to stay

HILTON CARDIFF
Housed in a 1930s office building, the Hilton has 197 guest rooms, seven meeting rooms, a 20-metre indoor pool and a health club. There is an executive lounge on the top floor and in-room facilities include free wifi and Sony Playstation. There are two bars and a restaurant specialising in traditional Welsh fare.
WHERE? Opposite Cardiff Castle.
HOW MUCH? From £159.
CONTACT Tel +44 (0)2920 646 300; hilton.co.uk/cardiff.

ST DAVID’S HOTEL AND SPA
Formerly a Rocco Forte, this five-star hotel has recently been taken over by Principal Hayley. It has 132 guest rooms, two large conference suites and four meeting rooms. Leisure facilities include a swimming pool, sauna, gym and holistic treatments.
WHERE? On the waterfront, close to the Wales Millennium Centre.
HOW MUCH? From £140.
CONTACT Tel +44 (0)2920 454 045; thestdavidshotel.com.

NOVOTEL CARDIFF CENTRE
A new-generation Novotel with 138 rooms, restaurant, bar, gym, spa, sauna and pool.
WHERE? Ten minutes’ walk from Cardiff Central station.
HOW MUCH? From £69.
CONTACT Tel +44 (0)2920 475 000; novotel.com.

HOLIDAY INN CARDIFF CITY CENTRE
A 155-room hotel with two executive suites, business centre and 11 meeting rooms.
WHERE? On Castle Street, near the Millennium Stadium and Cardiff Castle.
HOW MUCH? From £99.
CONTACT Tel +44 (0)870 400 8140; holidayinn.co.uk.

IBIS CARDIFF CITY CENTRE
A 102-room hotel with wifi and a restaurant serving breakfast from 4am-12pm.
WHERE? On Churchill Way, near the Capitol shopping arcade.
HOW MUCH? From £60.
CONTACT Tel +44 (0)2920 649 250; ibishotel.com.