Work has been completed on a multimillion pound Birmingham hotel
development - which will be operated under the Holiday Inn Express
brand - by local business Ace Hospitality Ltd.
The hotel - which is the one of the first new generation Holiday
Inn Expresses in the UK - formerly known as Burgess House at 1270
Coventry Road, Birmingham - was purchased by development
partnership Tavern Investments LLP in 2008. The partners saw the
huge potential the disused former office building offered as a
hotel conversion given its close proximity to the NEC, Birmingham
International Airport and the City Centre. It will also help to
meet the future hotel demands of Birmingham Airport's new runway
and the new HS2 Link.
Once planning permission had been granted, and a finance package
had been agreed through NatWest Commercial Banking, Anglo Holt were
appointed to undertake the building and development work.
Anglo Holt started work on site in December 2010 and
delivered the 83 bedroom Holiday Inn Express, on time and on budget
ensuring it is ready for the 7th July opening deadline.
The hotel - which will be operated by Ace Hospitality Ltd -
boasts 83 bedrooms and a 65 space car park. It has created 30 new
jobs, which have been secured with assistance of Job Centre Plus
Yardley. The hotel also offers a restaurant, bar and meeting room
facilities.
A spokesperson for Ace Hospitality Ltd, said: "The development
of this property became something of a labour of love. The team
spirit and determination kept us all focused on the same goal. We
undertook the challenge to regenerate a largely disadvantaged area
of our City, thus supporting the local economy by bringing the
international Holiday Inn Express name to Yardley and the people to
Birmingham. Also, creating new jobs was very important to us. When
we look back at how the building has been transformed from a vacant
dilapidating office building, which was boarded up and vandalised
and was generally a nuisance and eyesore for the local
neighbourhood, its feels like we have made a huge achievement. We
hope the local community will be proud to be associated with this
building. The support from the local residents has been
overwhelming and will be important to the hotel's future success,
as will the great promotional offers we have initiated. The
residents have also welcomed the revitalised street scene. Now that
the hoardings have come down, the Holiday Inn Express signage is up
and the doors are about to open we are very excited about where Ace
Hospitality and the hotel are heading.
"When we first started planning the development, feedback
indicated that there was a need for more hotel accommodation in the
City, especially near to the NEC and the Airport. We know we have
addressed this with our 83 bedrooms, on site car parking,
restaurant, meeting facilities and our commitment to delivering a
high exceptional guest experience, from our friendly staff service
to our delightful free hot breakfasts. It has been a long journey
since acquiring the premises, but with thanks to Holiday Inn
Express, Anglo Holt, NatWest and all the team, we are delighted to
be opening this landmark Birmingham hotel, and hope this
development could be a catalyst development that encourages more
regeneration and investment in Yardley.
"We would also like to give special thanks to the team at Job
Centre Plus for their support. They received over 400 applicants
for 30 jobs which was phenomenal and showed the opportunity to work
within the Holiday Inn Express brand proved to be a really positive
incentive for recruitment."
Rash Singh from the NatWest Commercial Banking team in
Birmingham provided the funding package for the development
work.
Rash Singh commented: 'Ace Hospitality Ltd and Tavern
Investments LLP have turned an office unit into a great hotel in a
superb location. Their vision, the location and the strength of the
Holiday Inn Express brand will ensure this is a successful venture
not only for the business, but also for the local economy. NatWest
are delighted to have provided support for this development.'