Keswick’s Premier Inn will open its doors for the first time on Monday.
Owners Whitbread has announced the opening of the 71-bedroom hotel at High Hill in Keswick and said it was the first of its hotels in the Lake District.
Premier Inn Keswick will offer guests a choice of Premier Inn’s standard bedrooms and 12 enhanced Premier Plus rooms.
Premier Inn anticipates that around 30,000 of its guests will stay there every year based on its latest occupancy rates, who are anticipated to generate £1.8 million per year in additional visitor expenditure in Keswick and the surrounding area.
Karl Hetherington, the manager of the new Premier Inn Keswick, said: “Opening a new hotel is always a big moment. It is even more special when you have a connection to the local area like I do in Keswick.
“I am very proud of the team we have recruited to run the hotel with me, many of whom are from Keswick and the local area, and I know they will do an excellent job of welcoming our guests and giving them the warm Premier Inn welcome we are known for.
“I can’t wait to open the doors and start playing a positive role in the local community.”
In total Premier Inn has recruited 24 new team members to run the new Keswick hotel, all of whom are being employed on a permanent basis by Whitbread, Premier Inn’s parent company. The company is also currently recruiting for two back-of-house roles.
As part of their structured training programme, Karl and the new site team partnered with the West Cumbria Canals and Rivers Trust to undertake some voluntary conservation work in late January.
Offering more than 70 hours of time in total, the team worked with representatives of the trust to remove plastic tree guards from young trees planted along How Beck near Thirlmere as well as planting a few new hawthorn and hazel saplings between the established trees.
The team is also fundraising for the Great Ormond Street Hospitals charity, Premier Inn’s national charity partner.
