Guests staying at Keswick’s new Premier Inn are to be charged £10 for parking at the hotel – either on site or at the Derwent Pencil Museum.
A spokesman for Whitbread told the Reminder that as with all its sites, the charges will be made clear at the point of booking and that they did not see the charges denting the attractiveness of the hotel to guests.
It had hoped the hotel would be open for Christmas but the spokesman was unable to confirm an opening date until into the new year.
“The new Premier Inn on High Hill in Keswick is our first Premier Inn hotel in the Lake District National Park,” said the spokesman. “Opening the doors will be a hugely significant moment for us and we want to get everything right for our guests before we welcome them to the new hotel.
“Our original target was to open the Keswick Premier Inn before the festive break. As Christmas approached, we decided to pause and open the doors to the 71-bedroom hotel in the new year.
“The principal contractor GMI Construction will continue fitting out the new hotel this side of Christmas and in early January. The excellent new team we have recruited will also continue with their training this week and in the new year.
“We are really looking forward to being part of the business community in Keswick and playing our part to promote the town to our leisure and business customers. Taking a few weeks to get everything ready for them is the sensible thing to do.
“We will share an update on our plans to welcome our first guests in mid-January.”
