Miss Universe contestants heading for city hotel

Beauty queens from across the country will descend on Wolverhampton after a city hotel was today revealed as the official venue to host contestants for the British finals of Miss Universe, over the May Day bank holiday weekend.

The Connaught Hotel will welcome girls for the competition, which will see 60 of Britain's most beautiful women vying for the crown. The winner will go on to represent Great Britain at US business magnate Donald Trump's Miss Universe competition in Brazil in September.

Among the contestants is Andrea Sturmey, a 22-year-old Topshop sales assistant from Penn, Wolverhampton, who was crowned Miss Black Country last year.

Harry Bindra, from the Connaught Hotel, said tod-ay: "The Miss Universe Great Britain competition is one of the foremost beauty pageants in the UK and so it is a privilege to be the host hotel for the weekend."

The overall winner of Miss Universe will win a contract with Trump Model Management.

Paula Abbandonato, nat-ional director of Miss Universe Great Britain, said: "When we saw the Americano New York themed restaurant at The Connaught we knew it would be just the place for our contestants to help them get their eye on the prize.

"The international menu and the New York-themed decor give it a very exciting feel."

The 60 contestants will descend on Wolverhampton on April 30. They will take time out of rehearsals on the day to take part in an open-top bus tour of Wolverhampton, before an overnight stay at the Tettenhall Road hotel.

They will then travel to the ICC in Birmingham on May 1 for the competition final. Since becoming Miss Black Country, Andrea has taken on an ambassadorial role for the area by attending charity events.