The second Hilton-branded hotel in Stoke-on-Trent has opened its doors - just a month after the first.
DoubleTree by Hilton Stoke-on-Trent has opened at the former Best Western Moat House Hotel, on Festival Park, following a £6.5 million refurbishment.
The popular hotel - which boasts 147 bedrooms - has been closed for eight months as a result of the pandemic.
But now it has officially re-opened and is currently taking bookings for essential workers.
Its launch comes just a month after the city's first Hilton hotel opened in October.
General manager Clare Furnell-King said: "The old Moat House Hotel opened in about 1991 and there has not been an investment of this size since then, so it was crying out out for a make-over.
"So far, the entire upper ground floor has been refurbished and 65 out of 147 rooms; and we hope to complete all of the work by March next year. The new rooms are fantastic. They have all been completed to Hilton's clean stay, covid-secure standards."
The massive renovation project includes the refurbishment of 147 rooms and an expansion of the venue's conference centre.
New safety measures have also been introduced to ensure the hotel is abiding by the Government's covid-19 regulations, including an enhanced cleaning regime which covers the hotel's 10 high touch points, as well as hand sanitiser stations and two-metre social distancing markers.
So far, the entire upper ground floor has been renovated but work on the lower ground floor - including the ballroom and the on-site leisure club - is ongoing. The estimated completion date is March 2021.
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Clare added: "We have franchised to Hilton and are now operating as DoubleTree by Hilton Stoke-on-Trent, but there has been no change of ownership. So we may have changed the look and feel of the hotel, but guests can rest assured that we have retained the homeliness of our fantastic, local team.
"It has been a long eight months for us, but we are now open for essential bookings and we can't wait to start welcoming back lots more guests when we are able to."
