Macdonald Hotels has announced it is to invest more than £8m at its Preston property, The Tickled Trout.

The group intends to add a new leisure club, meeting and banqueting facilities, additional bedrooms and a new restaurant and bar.

The Vital leisure club will include an 18m swimming pool, Technogym-equipped fitness facility and a spa offering a suite of treatment rooms, a relaxation area and sauna and steamrooms.

The gym and spa will be open to membership as well as to hotel guests.

The new conference and banqueting suite will have the capacity to host 600 people in a dedicated business centre on two floors, offering up to 18 flexible meeting rooms, a delegate reception and a roof terrace.

A new, larger, restaurant and bar will be created and a further 28 executive bedrooms opened.

Gerry Smith, deputy chief executive of Macdonald Hotels, said: “We are confident that our proposals will create a striking new landmark building for Preston, offering a wide range of facilities which will attract business to the area as well as offering excellent amenities for local residents.”

Macdonald Hotels, which has a portfolio of 70 hotels across the UK, incorporating both owned and managed properties, was taken private by its management team in October last year in a £620m buy out.