New Newcastle Quayside hotel takes step forward as builder is appointed

Plans for Newcastle’s newest hotel have taken a leap forward after Gateshead-based Robertson was appointed to the scheme.

Spanish hotel operator Meliá Hotels International is opening a four-star, seven-storey Innside Hotel next to the new Travelodge on Newcastle Quayside , in plans which involve knocking down the east wing of former BT office Bridge Court.

Landowners Union Property Services has already transformed the west wing of the building, replacing it with the budget hotel Travelodge, and has been working on options for the remainder of the site.

Built in the 1990s for BT, the two parts of Bridge Court had been vacant since 2011 when the telecoms firm moved out.

Now Robertson will manage the demolition of the BT building and the erection of the 161-bedroom hotel over a 96-week period. Construction of the new hotel is expected to be completed in summer 2020.

Meliá Hotels International, which was set up in Mallorca in the 1950s and is now the largest chain in Spain, is seeking to expand and add to its 370 hotels, which operate under four brands around the world, including Innside.

The Newcastle Innside hotel is part of a wider expansion by the Meliá brand, with hotels planned in Italy, Indonesia and Denmark, as well as other major UK cities such as Liverpool.

Creating up to 80 jobs, the new hotel will be only the second Innside in the UK which follows the opening of the first in Manchester in 2015.

The river view hotel will have an ‘open living lounge’ with a bar and restaurant that non-residents will be welcome to use, plus conference facilities, a fitness lounge and 25 car park spaces.

Garry Hope, regional managing director of Robertson, said: “Robertson is delighted to be delivering this fantastic project in the heart of Newcastle . Meliá Hotels has a great reputation across the world and we are excited to help build this high-quality hotel in the UK.

“We have the expertise and experience in delivering high quality projects on time and on specification in the North East and across the UK and the new hotel will be a wonderful facility for both guests and Newcastle residents alike.”

Raj Sehgal, director of Union Property Services, said: “We are extremely excited and proud to be able to bring top quality developments such as the new Travelodge and Melia Innside to Newcastle; which in turn will create jobs and bring this prime area of the city back to life.”