INN TO THE FUTURE
■ New hotel looks to make Seaburn a gateway destination ■ £6million development for pub creates 55 new jobs
It’s been years in the planning and months in construction which had to stop and start with the pandemic – but finally Seaburn Inn will welcome its first guests from Monday.
Ahead of opening day, the Echo was given an exclusive first look around the £6million addition to Seaburn, which is set to help stamp the seafront on the tourist map.
The 40-bed pub with rooms on the site of the former Pullman Lodge is a key development in the ongoing regeneration of the seafront which will see a number of new openings in the coming months.
It was hoped the hotel, which has created 55 jobs, would open last winter, after construction began in February 2020, but Covid delayed the build.
Finally, the restaurant will open from 8am on Monday for breakfasts through to dinner, with the first guests checking in to enjoy the site’s 24 sea rooms, 18 of which have balconies, and six with Juliet balconies. A further 16 rooms are at the rear of the site, and all 40 rooms are a mix of double or family, some of which are adjoining.
General manager Richard Miller said that staff can’t wait to serve the first guests.
"We’re really excited to open the doors,” he said. “Obviously there’s been delays with the pandemic, but we’re really pleased with the finished hotel. It’s a really exciting opportunity to be a part of as you don’t get many full new build pubs and hotels."
Much of the restaurant and pub’s decor doffs its cap to its locality with seafaring paraphernalia, as well as local Seaburn signs on the walls.
Richard says the site very much hopes to be part of the community and is hoping much of its trade will come from locals.
"Our primary focus is as a pub and restaurant, as well as having rooms too. We see the pub and restaurant as being used more by non-hotel residents,” he explained.
Seaburn Inn neighbours the hugely-successful Stack Seaburn development and will be joined along the seafront by a number of new additions this summer including the creation of a seafront restaurant in a former shelter in Seaburn, a new gin bar in former toilet blocks in Roker and beach huts.
The wider Seafront Regeneration Scheme is aimed at improving the seafront experience for Wearsiders, as well as attracting people from further afield.
Stack has already been attracting people from across the region, and Richard says the hotel will build on that.
"Bookings have been really good. There’s been a lot of interest from locals but also people from Northumberland and across the wider North East. There’s a lot of businesses that complement each other here,” said Richard.
The hotel, which also has 66 car parking spaces as well as children’s play area, has been brought to the city by The Inn Collection Group.
The group already has a number of successful North East pubs and hotels in their portfolio including The Seaton Lane Inn in East Durham; The Amble Inn in Northumberland; The Bamburgh Castle Inn in Seahouses; The Black Swan in Helmsley, North Yorkshire and The Kingslodge Inn in Durham City.