Taking an exclusive peep in at Blackpool's newest hotel - the town centre Holiday Inn

There’s a touch of celebrity glam to Blackpool’s newest hotel as it prepares to open tomorrow.

For a start, the £34 million Holiday Inn on Talbot Road comes oven-ready with a snazzy eatery - one of Marco Pierre’s White’s New York Italian restaurants, no less.

That particular cuisine brand is restricted to some very exclusive corners of England - so Blackpool is in good company.

Then there’s a celebrity guest coming along tomorrow to officially cut the ribbon at the 144-bedroom hotel.

Corrie star cutting the ribbon

Corrie fans will know all about actor Mark P Shepherd, whose character David Platt has been involved in some of the most dramatic storylines in the past 15 years.

The gleaming new hotel is fittingly located in one of the smartest areas of Blackpool, just across from Bickerstaffe Square and next to the new tram terminus - as part of the £350million Talbot Gateway regefneration project.

In the spacious and shiny new foyer, there are tasteful winged chairs in fashionable mustard, comfy oatmeal sofas and a well stocked bar where cocktails are being dispensed.

Welcoming pre-launch guests into the new Holiday Inn is general manager Mark Winter, who admits to being excited as the opening day fast approaches.

There is an archway of celebratory balloons and some welcoming glasses of prosecco to add some extra sparkle to the pre-launch reception.

Jobs boost for Blackpool

He said: “We can’t wait, it seems to have been a long time coming, there’s a real buzz about the place.

“We’ve invited a few people in to meet the team and sample the food in the restaurant before we open.

“In tems of job applicants, we had 3,679 applications for 70 jobs for the Holiday Inn and Marco’s restaurant.

“Of those, 97 per cent of the work force are from Blackoool, which is a staggering statistic.”

Unsurprisingly a major resort like Blackpool already has a lot of hotels - more than 230 at the last count - so what will this new Holiday Inn bring to the party, Mark was asked?

He said: “It is amazing what impact a brand name hotel and a celebrity restaurant can have on the market - it definietly brings something extra.

“And it works perfectly with all the local B&Bs, because they don’t cater for evening meals and we have a Marco Pierre White resturant here to tempt the guests!”