THE former Middlesbrough Hotel - once known as the Dragonara - which towers over the town centre, has been rebranded as Jurys Inn Middlesbrough.

The hotel will now undergo a six-month refurbishment of the rooms and public areas.

To celebrate its rebrand, the hotel group brought in Miss England hopeful Vicky Turner to lie on a bed on wheels, which was towed around Middlesbrough town centre.

Locals got the opportunity to jump in bed with the model and cruise around the town centre on the "dream bed".

Damon Roberts, General Manager, Jurys Inn Middlesbrough said: “Having managed the hotel for the past five years, the existing team and I are incredibly excited to operate under the Jurys Inn brand, and what better way to celebrate than by taking the dream bed to the streets of Middlesbrough, so locals can test-drive the bed and get to know us better.

“Over the next six months we will undergo significant refurbishment, including the transformation of all our bedrooms... and refurbished public areas and meeting rooms.

"It will be business as usual during refurbishment which is due to be completed in early 2016."

The hotel, on Fry Street, has been known as the Hospitality Inn, the Thistle and was originally the Dragonara.

Jurys Inn operates 39 hotels in city centres in the UK, Ireland and Czech Republic.