Long-stay hotel plan approved
A HOTEL where guests can stay as long as they like is coming to Cardiff.
Planning permission for the so called “apart hotel” has been given the goahead by Cardiff council.
The project, from the Staybridge Suites Hotels brand, will see a 75-bedroom long-stay hotel built next to the existing Holiday Inn Express in Cardiff Bay which is being refurbished. Work is expected to start next spring and be ready for guests by mid 2020.
It will be Staybidge Suites’ first venue in Wales, under franchise from the Intercontinental Hotel Groups.
The long stay hotel is marketed as a “home away from home” for travellers.
It will prove relaxed suites, with fullyequipped kitchens, separate working areas, entertainment and free wi-fi.
The new development will also involve the refurbishment of the public areas at the current Holiday Inn Express. Groundfloor amenities will include a gym, onsite 24/7 shop, fitness and laundry rooms and storage lockers. The communal, ground-floor area will offer social events to guests.
Cardiff-based development management consultants, Lee Wakemans, have been appointed as project and cost managers on the scheme.
The company worked on the refurbishment of the existing Holiday Inn Express in 2017.
John Meek, director of Lee Wakemans, said, “We are really excited to be working on this project, which is a first for Wales, and will go some way towards satisfying Cardiff’s need for more accommodation of this nature.
“The dual-brand offering is a trend in the leisure sector which is now growing in the UK following success in Europe and America, and will offer something new to people staying in Cardiff. There is a real need for more accommodation of this kind in Cardiff.” He added: “The hos- pitality sector is one of the key areas in which our business operates, and we have a strong track record and significant experience in delivering hotels.
“To be part of this innovative development, which will benefit our capital city’s economy and leisure sector is fantastic for us as a company.”
The hotel is being designed by Gareth Woodfin, Regional Lead for Wales at HLM, who said: “Having designed hotels across the UK and the UAE, we are excited to have been commissioned to use our experience to design and deliver the Staybridge Suites here in Cardiff.
“There is clearly a growing demand for this type of more relaxed accommodation growing internationally – and design is a key element of delivering a more unique accommodation experience here in Cardiff.”
Staybridge suites has 250 apart-hotels globally, with a further 151 projected over the next three to five years.