Croydon's tourism and business sectors are to be boosted by the long awaited opening of the £14million Jurys Inn hotel in central Croydon, on February 15, 2002, with further hotel developments to come.

The Croydon Jurys Inn will be a modern three-star budget hotel on Wellesley Road in the centre of the business district, offering quality accommodation and value for money, making it particularly suitable for corporate visitors or tourists.

Standing 14 stories high and costing £14.5million, the Inn will house 240 en-suite air-conditioned bedrooms available at a fixed room rate of £69 per night and will feature a new bar, restaurant and coffee-to-go concept shop.

Jurys Doyle Hotel Group plc sales director Niall Geoghegan said: "The location fits the Jurys Inn criteria perfectly, as the 13th largest business centre in the UK, Croydon is an active, year-round hub of commercial activity."

As Croydon is home to over 20 blue chip companies including Nestle, HSBC, Merrill Lynch and Directline, the hotel also has a suite of 14 dedicated meeting rooms to cater for corporate guests.

Mr Geoghegan added: "Located close to Gatwick Airport and only 20 minutes from central London by train, Jurys Inn Croydon is ideal for business and leisure guests looking for quality, affordable accommodation. We're confident it will be a huge success."

Despite the downturn in UK tourism since the September 11 terrorist attacks, hotel developers are continuing to invest in Croydon and an extra 360 beds will be provided with two other proposed town centre developments.

In October, Croydon Council granted planning permission for a 161 bed budget hotel at Priddys Yard, Frith Road, with development set to start in March 2002. By 2003 one of the four office towers above the Whitgift Shopping Centre could also be turned into a 200 room hotel, while a hotel is also included in the proposed Gateway development at East Croydon Station.

These developments will boost the levels of hotel accommodation in the borough, where 3,000 beds are currently available, and will hopefully have a positive impact on the town's leisure and retail sectors in coming years.

December 13, 2001 16:00