The hotel was officially opened by Princess Margaret[4] in 1986 as a Holiday Inn,[5][6] owned by Canada-based Scott's Hotels.[7] It was renamed the Cardiff Marriott in 1992. It was sold to Whitbread Hotels in 1995 and then sold again in 2005.[8] The hotel underwent refurbishment in 2008, which included a new multi-storey car park, because part of the hotel car park was sold to make way for a new Cardiff Central Library as part of the St. David's 2 development.