Construction of Isle Of Man’s first Premier Inn hotel completes
Dandara, the award-winning property developer, has successfully handed over the Isle of Man’s first Premier Inn hotel to Whitbread, Premier Inn’s parent company.
Situated on Market Street in Douglas, the new 85-bedroom Premier Inn hotel and Thyme restaurant will open its doors to customers on 24 June – with advance bookings currently being taken on the premierinn.com website. The six-storey hotel was granted planning permission in September 2017.
Whitbread worked closely with the Isle of Man Job Centre and University College Isle of Man to recruit 35 new team members to work at the new hotel and restaurant. The new team will shortly start Whitbread’s industry leading training programme and benefit from its ongoing apprenticeship and career advancement opportunities once the hotel opens.
Richard Aldread, (Head of Construction UK and Ireland Regions) for Whitbread, who worked closely with Dandara on the construction of the hotel, said:
“It’s always exciting to hand over a brand-new Premier Inn hotel to our operations team. In Douglas, it is especially significant as it’s our first hotel on the Isle of Man. To get us to this stage Whitbread has made a significant multi-million-pound investment in the new hotel and restaurant building and we expect it will trade very well given the island’s strong business and leisure economy. With the building now complete, we’re looking forward to opening the doors, welcoming guests and bringing a different style of accommodation to the island.”
Contract Manager at Dandara, Len Arnold, added:
“It has been a pleasure to work with Whitbread on this exciting new Premier Inn building. Not only has the development progressed extremely well but has been delivered on schedule and ahead of the planned opening later this year.
“As award winners of the Considerate Constructors Scheme, we have liaised closely with site neighbours, hauliers and suppliers throughout this project and ensured minimum disruption to businesses and residents in the area. The extremely tight site has thrown a few challenges at the construction team who have kept the programme on track throughout the build process.
“We would like to thank everyone for their patience and understanding and, once the Premier Inn team is ready, look forward to seeing the hotel open its doors in the Isle of Man.”
Notes to the editor
About Dandara
Established in 1988, Dandara specialises in the design and construction of innovative homes and commercial properties, which offer real value for money without compromising on design, durability or quality.
Over the last 30 years the Dandara Group has become one of the UK’s leading independent property development companies, delivering a fully integrated design and build service from its headquarters in the Isle of Man and offices across the UK, completing more than 11,000 new homes and receiving more than 100 industry awards for design and quality.
To find out more about Dandara’s new communities and innovative commercial developments please visit: www.dandara.com or call 01624 693300
About Premier Inn
Premier Inn was named the UK’s top-rated hotel chain for 2018 according to Which? With over 800 hotels and more than 75,000 rooms across the UK and Ireland, Premier Inn guests are never far from a great night’s sleep at fantastic value rates. Premier Inn hotels are in more locations than any other UK hotel brand for the ease and convenience of leisure and business travellers alike.
All Premier Inn bedrooms feature en-suite bathrooms, a luxurious Hypnos® bed, a choice of pillows, TV with Freeview and free Wi-Fi. A bar and restaurant is situated either on-site or next door to each hotel, offering a wide range of food and drink including a delicious all-you-can-eat breakfast.
Across the estate, the average Trip Advisor score for Premier Inn hotels is 4.2. Premier Inn has been awarded the Best UK Family Hotel in the TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards, Best UK Hotel Group in the Silver Travel Awards and the Business In The Community Environmental Leadership Award. In 2018 Premier Inn was also named the UK’s top-rated hotel chain for the fourth year in a row by Which?
Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity is the National Charity partner of Premier Inn and to date team members, guests and suppliers have reached the milestone of £10 million, which formed part of the funding towards the Premier Inn Clinical Building, officially opened by HRH The Duchess of Cambridge in January 2018.
Outside of the UK, Premier Inn’s expansion plans are focused on Germany. Premier Inn opened its first hotel in Frankfurt in 2016 and has more than 6,000 Premier Inn bedrooms in its secured pipeline in Germany.
