A SOUTH Lakeland hotel is aiming to cement its place as one of the region's top business conference venues following a major investment.

The Castle Green Hotel in Kendal has ploughed £100,000 into new facilities at its conference and training centre.

Laptop computers and projection screens have been installed in all six rooms, along with CD, DVD and video players and televisions as well as new air conditioning and heating systems.

Customers can also gain much faster access to the Internet using broadband connections in each room, and they can leave valuables such as mobile phones in a safe.

The largest conference room has even been wired up with a full surround sound system General manager Tim Rumney said the hotel wanted to be the best conference venue in the area and the enhanced facilities would help towards that goal.

"We made a presentation to about 70 of our key clients existing users, people wanting to use us and booking agents and we got a fantastic reaction.

"People were very impressed with the quality of the facilities." Mr Rumney said the Castle Green could now offer cutting edge technology to clients, although he stressed the hotel would not be increasing its rates despite the latest investment.

Deputy general manager Stewart Neil said the company had looked at the facilities offered by other leading hotels to compare what was available on the market. "We have taken the best of what we have seen," he added.

The conference and training market represents a substantial part of the Castle Green's business, and Mr Rumney said the hotel was attracting international as well as national companies.

"We must continue to invest in the future and move the hotel up to another level. We will remain as a three-star hotel, but we commit in the region of £250,00 to £300,000 a year on refurbishment work, which we see as absolutely essential to continue to develop and maintain our position."

Upgrading work worth £300,000 has now started in the hotel restaurant, bar and kitchen. Gatebeck-based firm HRJ Shopfitters have completed the first phase of the project, providing the platform for an extended kitchen and new balcony.