The Hazlitt Apartments: bringing a new era of elegance to Paisley

A project years in the making, The Hazlitt Apartments are opening their doors and bringing in a new era of elegance to Paisley

Undertaking a massive development is always a huge gamble. Between the overheads and the inherent leap of faith it requires to take a big step into the unknown, there are many people who’d shy away from committing themselves to turning a building which formerly housed a department store at the beginning of the 20th century into a luxury aparthotel.

However, for Ian Henderson, the trials and tribulations that come with greenlighting something of this magnitude are outweighed by the benefits to the place that he’s called home all his life. 

After previously overseeing developments in Africa that have led to the launch of successful hotels and lodges in Kenya, Ian has spent a long time going back and forth between his hometown and the mother continent since the 80s. 

Now, the impending launch of The Hazlitt Apartments are a chance for him to give the town a vital new amenity which will work in tandem with the ongoing drive to bring people to Renfrewshire from far and wide. 

“I’ve always been to and fro but it’s been good to always have an anchor here,” Ian said of his journey. “What I’m working on is trying to create a tourist offer for Paisley, starting with a handful of attractions and then really putting what we have here on the map.

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“Things aren’t necessarily tied up and there are things we want to tap into, but we have an offer here. When we took the premises here, there were 25,000 square feet of offices upstairs and it was clear that there weren’t going to be people diving at that opportunity. 

“We realised that this building, considering it dates back to 1908, was way ahead of its time. Then, it had been renovated 25 years ago by a major contractor and this meant it had great potential. So, it came to the dilemma of do we turn it into flats and flog it, or create an aparthotel which will offer something for years and create revenue for the town.”

Comprised of 18 one and two bedroom self-catering apartments made of both kingsized, double and twin rooms as well as a special bridal suite for those getting married at any of the revered venues in the area such as Coats or Paisley Town Hall, anyone who has toured the place will wax lyrical about its merits. 

Providing the tasteful sleekness of a hotel with the privacy of an Airbnb, the combination of handiness of the location, its affordability and the thoughtful retention of the building’s original features will mean The Hazlitt Apartments are unlike anything Paisley has seen before. 

From a personal standpoint, this was of utmost importance to Ian as he has been in awe of the space since he first stepped into it 25 years ago. 

“I was just blown away with this building, it was stunning,” he reflected. “So, to think that I ended up managing to buy it was a dream. I saw a three line ad in the Glasgow Herald all those years ago and it was really just luck. 

“There isn’t really an offer of accommodation in Paisley which is a good fit for the tourism that’s coming and the weddings,” he continued. “We wouldn’t have gone ahead with this even without somewhere like Coats opening up, but it’s just been a great tie in. I think there’ll be a wide variety of clients, we might even get some long stays as people could stay for up to 90 days.

“So, whether it’s someone assigned to work at the airport, a visiting professor at UWS or a new player at St Mirren, there’s plenty of uses for the place for so many people. We’re about to open the bookings from the 6th of September and it’s a very exciting time.” 

Experienced in everything from washing cars, removals and road haulage to spending years volunteering with Save The Children in order to combat famines which eventually led to work with the UN, Ian is no stranger to high pressure situations. While there have been setbacks, he is thrilled that they are finally arriving at the culmination of all the hard work. 

“We’ve been waiting to unveil this for years now and it’s got to the point where we didn’t have a target opening,” he revealed. “It got to the stage where people asked me when we were going to open and I told them that ‘every day I wake up, we’re a day closer’ (laughs). We’re just excited to get people in and they can see what we’ve been working towards. Then, it’ll all be worth it.” 

For more information and to book a room at The Hazlitt Apartments, visit the website. 27 Causeyside Street, Paisley, PA1 1UL, 0141 886 5020.