Take a look inside Blackpool town centre’s new £34 million Holiday Inn as bookings for hotel open

The four-star Holiday Inn is set to open in Spring 2024 and is currently being constructed as part of the town’s £350m Talbot Gateway development next to Blackpool North railway station.

The four-storey, 144-room hotel will include business conferencing facilities and a fitness centre for guests.

A Marco Pierre White New York Italian restaurant will also open alongside the hotel on the ground floor.

Bookings are now being taken for June onwards, with earlier dates set to be made available closer to the opening.

Coun Mark Smith, Cabinet Member for Levelling Up (Place) at Blackpool Council, said: “We’re excited for the new Holiday Inn to open in time for the tourist season next year and it’s great to see the first few rooms complete.

“The hotel will offer more options for tourists, but it will also create more opportunities for businesses and conferences and create dozens of jobs for local people.

“The restaurant will also offer another high-quality eating option for everybody in Blackpool to enjoy.”

An extension to Blackpool tramway, which will connect the Talbot Gateway and railway station directly with Blackpool Promenade, is also being constructed as part of the development, alongside an underpass allowing pedestrians to access the hotel and tramway directly from the station.

Five additional retail units have been constructed underneath the hotel and are available for lease.

“The Talbot Gateway Central Business District regeneration is a key part of our plans to make Blackpool better, creating more jobs and opportunities for local people, but also increasing footfall and spend into local businesses and into the town centre,” Coun Smith added.

The Holiday Inn will be operated by RBH Hospitality Management, one of the UK’s leading independent hotel management company, with General Manager Mark Winter overseeing the launch and early running of the hotel.

The hotel will create 80 new jobs, from managerial positions through to front of house and housekeeping staff, with recruitment starting shortly.

General Manager, Mark Winter, said: “This is a milestone development in an incredibly exciting project.

“Seeing the rooms take shape really helps bring the vision we have for this hotel to life and will be key to our rigorous recruitment campaign as we seek to build a diverse and experienced hotel team.

“With the completion of the first rooms, we’re one step closer to demonstrating the significant impact this hotel is going to have on the Blackpool area, so it’s great to see.”

The hotel, which is being developed by Muse in partnership with Blackpool Council, and tram extension form the second phase of the £350m Talbot Gateway regeneration of the area.

Blackpool Council, alongside Muse, has already developed the 125,000sq ft Number One Bickerstaffe Square council office, a Sainsbury’s supermarket and a refurbished 650-space multi-storey car park, alongside extensive public spaces for the community to enjoy.

The third phase of the Talbot Gateway regeneration includes a new seven storey, 215,000sq ft sustainable office building which will bring 3,500 civil service workers into the area when it opens in 2025, while land is currently being acquired ahead of phase four, a new £65m Multiversity educational campus which will also attract 3,000 more staff and students to the area.

Alan McBride, Technical Director at Muse, said: “This latest milestone regarding the Holiday Inn’s construction signifies another important landmark in the regeneration of Talbot Gateway, and draws into focus the positive impact this project will deliver for the town.

“Our vision is to help create a bold and bright future for Blackpool, building upon its renowned and rich history, and we can’t wait to see this particular part of the development come to fruition next year.”