AN eight-storey hotel is to open in Newcastle, adding further weight to the city's campaign for European Capital of Culture 2008.
Jurys Doyle Hotel Group believes its £17.9m hotel will be the biggest in the North-East when it opens on Valentine's Day at St James' Gate.
The Jurys Inn will boast 274 rooms and 5,400 sq ft of accommodation and facilities, making it the largest development in the city since the Quayside was revamped. It will also have its own pub, nine meeting rooms, a restaurant and coffee bar.
The hotel group also feels all the extra accommodation will be a major asset to the city in winning its bid to become the European Capital of Culture in 2008.
The manager of Newcastle Gateshead Convention Bureau, Ian Taylor, said: "Newcastle is already one of the UK's top ten locations for overseas visitors and we hope it will become even more popular. Good accommodation in the heart of the city is important if Newcastle/Gateshead is to remain competitive with other UK and European cities."
The hotel is to form one of the landmark buildings in St James' Gate.
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