Station Suites
MULTI-MILLION POUND INVESTMENT BY HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS INVESTORS
The team behind Middlesbrough’s highly popular Holiday Inn Express hotel is creating a new accommodation concept for the town, where guests will enjoy “home from home plus” affordable luxury.
Developer Ashall Projects and the other major investors who opened the hotel nearly 10 years ago are now launching Station Suites: 42 spacious serviced apartments which will be available in June.
They have embarked on a major refurbishment and upgrade programme over four floors of Boho 6 in Linthorpe Road, close to Middlesbrough railway station.
At the same time a £1m enhancement of all 159 rooms at the Holiday Inn Express is being carried out. The first phase has been completed and the second phase is scheduled for later this year.
The double investment is being made as a response to increased demand for accommodation arising from the influx of workers and visitors involved in giant projects such as Net Zero Teesside and the Darlington Economic Campus.
“The Holiday Inn Express continues to do a great job in looking after people who might be coming to Middlesbrough for a relatively short stay,” said Ashall Projects’ Managing Director Mark Ashall. “Station Suites will provide additional space and in room amenities which will be attractive to guests planning to stay in Teesside for longer periods.”
There will be 33 apartments which, at 25m2, are about a third bigger than the average hotel room. There are also six bigger suites - they will be 33m2 – and three two-bedroom apartments.
“Station Suites will offer them a home from home plus service,” said Mr Ashall. “That’s just not about the excellent quality of the rooms, we think it’s really important to provide a complete service. So, for example, there will be members of staff on site 24 hours a day. They’ll be there to look after our customers’ needs, so they can concentrate on what they’ve come here to do. In the meantime the concierge is there to accept deliveries, for example, or arrange dry cleaning for their suits. You rarely get this in other serviced apartments and, of course, never in an Airbnb.”
Station Suites is a short walk from the station, with its links to London, and a stone’s throw from Middlesbrough town centre.
When they arrive guests will find a reception, a large comfortable seating and dining area – where they can also hold informal meetings or just relax – a pantry and a bar serving drinks and snacks.
The refurbishment of the suites started in January and they will all be fitted with new furniture, including a king size bed. Each suite will have a kitchenette with a microwave, hob, dishwasher and sink.
Station Suites will be managed by the award-winning team from the Holiday Inn Express which is located just a short distance away and it will adopt the same high environmental standards as the hotel. These range from the use of wooden, rather than plastic, keycards and participation in the Too Good to Go campaign which avoids unnecessary waste and supports the local community.
Ashall Projects is looking at other projects in the area and is inviting companies who have secured contracts across the Tees Valley to discuss their accommodation needs.
“Everybody welcomed the wave of announcements about new jobs on Teesside, but they were also quick to raise concerns about a skills shortage. There’s also a serious room shortage,” warned Mr Ashall.
“It’s going to take a while to provide a local workforce with the training they’ll need to carry out the new roles required by Net Zero Teesside, for instance. In the meantime those people with the suitable experience, their support staff and consultants will be arriving in their thousands from outside the area and they’re going to need somewhere to stay.”
He added: “They expect high standards. They want space, comfort and as near to a home-from-home experience as possible – and we think we’re providing something even better than that at Station Suites.”
Ashall Projects has made a major impact on Middlesbrough town centre during the last decade. As well as opening the Holiday Inn Express, it has built three office buildings where around 1,500 people now work.
In addition the hotel has become a focal point for many members of the Tees Valley community and its staff have helped raise thousands of pounds for local charities.
The Holiday Inn Express, for instance, offers work experience and support for students from the Laurence Jackson School in Guisborough, Middlesbrough College and NHS England Choices College. It also works with Middlesbrough Council Community Learning.
Numerous charities – including Age UK Teesside, Middlesbrough Pride and Tees Hospice – hold regular meetings at the hotel. The hotel staff have also helped to promote and raise funds for a large number of good causes, including Zoe’s Place baby hospice, 4Louis and Breast Cancer now.
