Continuing its work in the hotel sector, Willmott Dixon has been awarded contracts with new client Village Hotel Club that includes building the new 154 bed hotel in Portsmouth while its interiors specialist is refurbishing two further hotels in Newcastle and Dudley.

The wins add to a growing track-record in the hotel sector that includes building Dorsett City Hotel adjacent to Aldgate underground station in London, a new Premier Inn hotel in Beverley, Novotel in Brentford and Holiday Inn on Commercial Road, in east London. Willmott Dixon Interiors is also behind work to upgrade and refurbish several Travel Lodge hotels.

The company’s £17m contract to build a 154 bedroom hotel in Lakeside New Harbour, Portsmouth, is one of a pipeline of new hotels for Village Hotel Club as they expand across the country. The hotel will create approximately 100 new jobs in the area and provide conference facilities and a leisure club with a 20m swimming pool, gym and fitness studio.

Iain Stackhouse, of Village Hotel Club, says: “We knew that there was a real need for more hotel space in the city and, prior to applying for planning, spoke to many businesses and organisations who believed a lack of hotel provision was holding back the city’s economic development.

“Therefore we were delighted when our planning was approved to provide not only a much-needed service for visitors, but also offer an important facility for people who live and work locally.”

Founded in 1995 Village Urban Hotel has 28 locations throughout the UK so far, the company has proved very popular due to its wide-ranging food and beverage offering as well as its sports and leisure facilities. The new hotel in Portsmouth will be the first of the new Village Hotel concept (designed by 3DReid) which will deliver the Village Hotel experience on a more compact footprint, increasing the company’s ability to expand into more urban areas with less available space.

Roger Forsdyke, managing director of construction in the Cobham office said,

“We are thrilled to be working with Village Hotel Club on this new and exciting project. We have undertaken work in the Solent area over a number of years in both the education and leisure sectors, this project will prove to be another great asset to the area.”

Mike Hart, chief operating officer at Willmott Dixon Interiors said “We’re excited to help Village Hotel Club roll out their new designs Newcastle, Dudley and Liverpool. We have vast experience in the hotel sector and that includes growing our presence in the North of the country.”