French hospitality group lines up new waterside hotel for Gateshead Quays

A French hospitality group has announced that it has chosen Gateshead for a new dual branded hotel on the quayside.

Accor, which owns the Novotel and ibis brands, will be combining the two names with its new hotel, which will be part of the £260m NewcastleGateshead Quays regeneration scheme.

The Novotel and ibis hotel will be established on the quayside of the development, spanning 172,000 sq ft and providing 327 rooms.

The hotel, which has been designed by AHR Architects and will be managed by Vine Hotels, is expected to open in 2024.

Philip Lassman, VP of development, Accor Northern Europe commented: “This is an excellent opportunity for Accor to be part of an area which has such strong character and identity.

“Gateshead Quays has undergone a huge transformation in the last fifteen years and is now considered a thriving cultural destination with over one million visitors a year, making it an exciting regeneration scheme to be part of.

“Our dual branded hotel is a fantastic prospect for Gateshead and Newcastle. It will be the first ibis branded hotel in the area and this will be just our second new-look Novotel concept hotel in the UK.

“The new development will not only be a feat in terms of creating a cohesion to the whole quayside location but it will also bring a significant amount of new investment to the area including job creation.

“We are working closely with Ask:PATRIZIA and Gateshead Council to deliver a high quality development which will bring significant economic benefit, providing domestic and international visitors with a superb city centre location.

“By bringing both the Novotel and ibis brands to the city we are catering for anyone visiting the area, no matter what their budget.”