Hull city centre’s Holiday Inn Express is to undergo a further face-lift after the chain announced fresh investment in the Ferensway hotel.
The new project will see the hotel’s reception, bar and lounge areas refurbished, with work expected to be completed by March 2020.
It comes just weeks after Holiday Inn completed an initial programme of improvements on the city centre hotel, and is a vote of confidence in Hull.
The project was announced by the hotel’s general manager, Debra Hutchins, as she welcomed guests from the city’s business community to view the improvements that have already taken place.
She said: “It’s great that on the day we have invited businesses from around Hull to look at the improvements to the bedrooms we are able to confirm that we have been given the go-ahead for the next phase of improvements.
“The company has approved the investment for everything we were hoping to do and the result will be a completely new look for the reception, the bar and lounge and the breakfast area.
“We’re working on a start date now but the aim at this point is to have it ready by March next year.”
The Holiday Inn Express opened in 2007, soon after the adjacent St Stephen’s Shopping Centre.
It employs 32 people, and is one of the biggest bed and breakfast providers in the region.
The Holiday Inn Express in Ferensway will embark on the refurbishment of its reception, bar and lounge areas with completion due by March 2020.
Kathryn Shillito, executive director at HullBID, said of the news: “It’s right next to the transport interchange and has the benefits of the St Stephen’s car park literally on its doorstep, so it’s in a perfect location for people travelling to Hull.
“It also has great views across the city skyline, especially from the upper floors. The hotel will act as a feeder for other restaurants and places to eat and drink in the city boosting the economy further.
“Debra reports high occupancy levels and this investment can only improve on that. The better the hotels in Hull, the more likely people are to turn a day trip into a weekend visit or mini-break because word is now getting out that there are so many great things to do and see in Hull.”
Refurbishment work on the hotel was initially due in 2017.
However, due to Hull’s busy year as City of Culture, the project was pushed back until this year.
With the first phase of renovation already completed, work is now set to start on the next part of the hotel’s facelift.
Anthony Yates, head of visitor destination at Visit Hull, said: “We were excited when we were invited for a tour of the refurbished bedrooms and it was fantastic to arrive here and to learn about the future investment.
“It’s great for the city and the region to see major companies investing to improve the visitor offer in Hull and East Yorkshire.”
