Hotel brand confirmed for key Prom site

An artists impression of the Hampton by Hilton Hotel which will be built on South Promenade, Blackpool

Hilton has announced an agreement with Blackpool-based Create Developments for a Hilton by Hampton franchise.

The £20m 130-bedroom scheme will see the hotel built on the site of the former Palm Beach Hotel on Wimbourne Crescent, South Promenade, which has now been bulldozed.

It was always mooted to be a Hilton by Hampton, but today’s announcement seals the deal.

Night view of the Hampton by Hilton Hotel which will be built on South Promenade, Blackpool

Finance includes a £4.5m investment by Blackpool Council, which agreed the loan last year to plug a funding short-fall in the scheme.

Patrick Fitzgibbon, senior vice president, development, EMEA, Hilton, said: “Blackpool is seeing major investment.

“The local council has successfully completed projects to upgrade the town’s promenade and reinvigorate its tram system.

“There is no better time, then, to introduce one of our fastest-growing brand in the UK, to one of Britain’s best known destinations.”

Paul Mathison, managing director of Create Developments said: “As Blackpool regenerates and flourishes, we are confident this hotel will be at the forefront of that transformation.”

Coun Mark Smith, Blackpool Council’s cabinet member for economic development, added: “We’re delighted to welcome Hampton by Hilton to Blackpool, which will offer a new quality accommodation option for the millions of families who visit the resort every year.”

The announcement follows the sale of the Imperial Hotel in North Shore for £12.8m, and progress by Premier Inn towards revelopment of the Yates’s site in Blackpool.