The Lake District’s first Premier Inn is on track to open before the end of the year.
Work is progressing on the High Hill site in Keswick and the frame of the new 80-bedroom hotel is now complete.
The construction team is now working on turning the bare structure into a latest generation Premier Inn – the first in the Lake District National Park.
“The team will be laying out the guest bedrooms, installing windows and adding the essential plant over the next few weeks,” said a Premier Inn spokesman. “The stone on the external walls will also start to be installed shortly.
“We still have a way to go before we’re ready to welcome our first guests but we remain on track to open the hotel before the end of the year all being well.
“It will be a landmark moment for us when we do and we’re really looking forward to becoming part of the community, employing locally, and helping to support Keswick all year round.”
Work on building the Premier Inn has been in progress for just over seven months and the hotel is beginning to take shape on a daily basis.
Permission for the hotel was granted by the Lake District National Park Authority in October 2020 despite a concerted public campaign, backed by Keswick Town Council, against it going ahead.
Opponents even presented a 3,000-name petition, but the hotel got the go ahead by eight votes to two.
The company is predicting 44,000 overnight stays per year at the hotel, with guests expected to generate close to £2 million per year of total tourism expenditure in the local economy.
Darlington-based Premcor, which owns the site, has said it proposed to invest more than £6 million into the new T-shaped hotel.
About 30 permanent jobs are expected to be created with recruitment targeted in Keswick and the wider Lake District.
