Jurys Doyle Hotel Group Plc today (Thursday, 12th July 2001) announced its intention to develop a new 274-bedroom Jurys Inn in Newcastle City.  The Stg£17.9 million development, which will be located in the Market area of the city, close to the main commercial, leisure and cultural amenities is scheduled for completion in spring 2003.  The Inn will be located in a Stg£45 million mixed development of retail, office and residential accommodation, the largest to be undertaken in the city in recent years.  The per room cost of the Inn development is Stg£65,000.

Commenting on the announcement, Pat McCann, Chief Executive, Jurys Doyle Hotel Group said: “A central element of our corporate strategy is our intention to expand the Jurys Inn portfolio in the UK over the next four years.  Newcastle is a key city in that strategy and represents a significant advancement in the on-going expansion of our Inns brand throughout the UK.  In line with our tried and tested Inns formula we are entering yet another vibrant UK headline city which enjoys an excellent year round mix of corporate, leisure and tourism activity.”

Mr McCann continued: “We are especially pleased to have secured such a prominent site for our Inn which will be located in the centre of the city close to major attractions such as St. James Park, the Stg£54 million International Centre for Life, Central Station, the main railway station and Eldon Square, the largest city centre shopping arcade in the UK all of which are just a short walk away.  I am confident that Jurys Inn Newcastle will quickly become an integral part of city life and will generate strong financial returns for the Group.”

The Jurys Inn Newcastle site which will be developed by McAleer and Rushe Limited, will be prominently located in a Stg£45 million mixed development in the Market site development facing Redheugh Bridge one of the main access routes to the city centre.  McAleer and Rushe, who developed Jurys Great Russell Street Hotel is currently developing Jurys Inn Croydon, along with Consarc Design.  The company will be responsible for the entire market site development in Newcastle.

The development, which will be the largest in the city since the Quays area was redeveloped, includes a 625 multi-story car park, a new urban plaza, state of the art office accommodation and an extensive apartment development.  The entire development is located just south west of the city centre.  In addition to the 274 bedrooms, Jurys Inn Newcastle will include six spacious meeting rooms totalling 5,400 square feet, a restaurant and bar.  The hotel, which will be eight stories high, will be the landmark building in the development enjoying panoramic views of the city and the River Tyne.

Construction of Jurys Inn Newcastle is due to commence this month (July 2001) and its completion will bring to 2,892 the total bedroom stock in the UK - 1,824 inns rooms and1,068 hotel bedrooms.

Newcastle, which is the capital of the North East, has a population of 300,000.  The city is one of the UK’s top ten locations for overseas visitors.  Located at the centre of the Tyne and Wear conurbation, the city enjoys a catchment area of 3.1 million people extending from North Yorkshire to the Scottish border. 

The city is served by both national and international transport links.  Newcastle International Airport, easily accessible from Jurys Inn Newcastle, has connections to fifty destinations in Europe the US and Canada.  Rail links provide direct access to London and Edinburgh.  Newcastle’s international ferry terminal offers both passenger and freight connections to Scandinavia, the Netherlands and Germany.

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