The new St. Regis hotel will overlook Par-La-Ville park in the heart of Hamilton's bustling city centre.

It has been co-designed by a Bermuda-based architectural firm, Linberg & Simmons Chartered Architects, and the Atlanta-based architectural firm of Smallwood, Reynolds, Stewart, Stewart & Associates.

Revealing plans yesterday, the developers said: "The hotel and residences will reflect the old world charm of classic Bermuda-style architecture complemented with a modern metropolitan design sensibility."

The hotel and residences will feature butler service, a spa, two restaurants, a wine bar and library, and a rooftop conservatory. The residences will feature a separate private lobby entrance and elevators, and full access to the hotel's luxury amenities and facilities.

The venue will also offer approximately 12,000 square feet of event space including a 4,000 square foot ballroom and a grand outdoor courtyard. The hotel has "in principle" planning approval and will be nine storeys high on the Church Street side and ten storeys on the Par-La-Ville side, with three levels of underground parking with valet service.

Sjur Linberg, a partner in Linberg and Simmons, told The Royal Gazette that the hotel will stand on the site of the current Par-La-Ville car park. It will rise about 100 feet above Church Street and will not encroach on Par-La-Ville Park, although the park will be extended into the grand courtyard.

Asked how the resulting additional traffic will be managed, Corporation of Hamilton Edward Benevides said: "Normally traffic studies are required for a development of this scale. Because an SDO (Special Development Order) was granted, there was no requirement for the traffic study. The Corporation will continue to work with the developers to find the best solution for this location."

Asked how the ten-storey building has been allowed, when the City of Hamilton Plan limits buildings to seven storeys, Mr. Benevides replied: "The developers presented the design to the Ministry of the Environment and received a Special Development Order. Currently the only way a development can exceed the Hamilton 2001 plan is by Ministerial approval. To the best of our knowledge there is one ten-storey building currently under construction in Hamilton and three in the planning stage."