City Inn, the award winning (“Best Business Hotel Brand” 2006, 2007), privately owned UK hotel company, that owns, develops and operates high quality, new build, contemporary hotels, has announced the imminent start of construction of a brand new landmark hotel in the prime location of Granary Wharf Leeds.

The hotel will be built on the central plot of Granary Wharf which is immediately adjacent to Leeds’ central train station, which will benefit from an outstanding canal side location affording excellent views over the city.

Designed by leading Architects Allies and Morrison, the hotel, which is due to open in 2009, will have 330 rooms, lounge and cocktail bars together with its highly acclaimed restaurant “City Café”, which will offer leading edge, modern, international cuisine in spaces that make the most of the fabulous waterside location. In addition to the bars and restaurants there will be bespoke private dining facilities, meeting rooms and conference areas. The top floor of the hotel will feature an exceptional sky lounge which will house a combination of superior meeting rooms and a stylish bar and terrace, offering unparalleled views over the water and the city.

As a new-build brand, City Inn benefits from the ability to utilise the latest standards of construction, ergonomic design and technology. This ensures that the buildings and accommodation are highly efficient, fit for purpose and state-of-art in every way. Contemporary and stylish, the City Inn brand has broad appeal with both business and leisure/cultural customers with its focus on modern amenities, a high quality experience, exceptional service and is excellent value for money.

The 2.61 acre Granary Wharf site will be developed to create a unique waterside village in the heart of the city. The site is bordered by Leeds train station, Holbeck Village and the waterways of the River Aire and the Leeds / Liverpool Canal. Granary Wharf will become an exceptional destination for Leeds, bringing animation to the canal side through not only the residents of the new apartments and the guests of the hotel, but also attracting those from outside the development with the quality of the bars, restaurants, retail offerings and outstanding public spaces.

City Inn will be investing over £50 million in the hotel project which it is developing with leading waterside developer Isis Waterside Regeneration. The hotel will create approximately 150 new jobs within the hotel and a wealth of construction-related roles and significant wider economic benefits to the city.

City Inn has developed a portfolio of five successful hotels in the UK to date situated in London (Westminster), Bristol, Birmingham,Glasgow and Manchester. In addition the company currently has hotels in development in Amsterdam and the Tower of London, both due to open in 2010.

Sandy Orr, Executive Chairman of City Inn, commented:

“We are privileged to be working closely with the City of Leeds and in partnership with Isis Waterside Regeneration to create an exceptional landmark hotel which is going to be one of the most prominent buildings in the city. We look forward to working together with our partners to deliver this development which we believe will create an outstanding new destination that maximises the potential of a fantastic canalside area which has lain undeveloped at the heart of Leeds for very many years .”

David Orr, Chief Executive of City Inn, commented:

”We fully appreciate the responsibility that goes with delivering an outstanding design for our new hotel which we believe will be a building that the city, its citizens and visitors will be proud of. Our brand is award winning, contemporary and stylish and is founded on a fundamental commitment to exceptional customer service. We are confident that our hotel, with its bars, restaurants and panoramic meeting spaces will be a very welcome addition to Leeds’ already vibrant business and cultural life.“


8 March 2007

Notes to Editors:

A relative newcomer to the hotel scene (their first hotel opened in Bristol in 1999), City Inn continues to evolve and to add value to the guest experience. This has been recognised by the industry and consumers through a number of awards and accolades. In addition to the Business Travel World Award 2006 & 2007, City Inn Westminster picked up Group Hotel of the Year 2005 at the annual Caterer & Hotelkeeper Awards; Best UK Hotels – 2nd’, Guardian/Observer Travel Awards 2006 and Most Improved Brand, BDRC Guest Survey 2004, to name but a few.

City Inn focuses on building and operating brand new contemporary styled hotels to highest engineering standards in prime city centre locations. Delivering beyond the guest’s expectation is central to the brand’s philosophy and this is nowhere more evident than when catering for the business traveller. Their initiatives demonstrate a clear understanding of the business traveller’s needs; no fuss easy access to free broadband, wifi in all public areas throughout the hotels, is just one example of many.

Founded by Sandy Orr, Donald MacDonald and David Orr, the City Inn brand and company was created completely from scratch providing contemporary luxury with a culture of personalised service and complete commitment to putting the customer first. Each hotel features the highly acclaimed City Café destination restaurant characterised by the Al Fresco terraces for the summer, with exceptional Chefs offering modern European dining with panache and flair. The buildings reflect the close relationship between architect and client, ensuring that the buildings are great for the cities as well as customers.

City Inn is recognised as one of the UK’s most exciting new hotel groups, with four properties open in the UK one under construction in a prime location in Manchester’s city centre due to open Spring 2007. The business has grown, supported by loyal customers in each city, excellent staff and positive shareholders.

The company is continuing to pursue a strategy of developing City Inn in prime UK city centres, to include Leeds, Edinburgh and further sites in London and is set to create circa 1,000 new careers. They also plan to continue the development of the brand into Europe and the United States.

For more information on City Inn visit the website www.cityinn.com

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