Russell WBHO picked for £48m Gateshead hotel

Developer Ask:Patrizia has appointed the contractor to deliver a 344-bedroom, dual-branded Novotel and Ibis hotel at Baltic Quarter on Gateshead Quayside.

Designed by AHR Architects, plans for the 180,898  sq ft, nine-storey hotel were approved by Gateshead Council in March. The twin-branded Accor destination will be managed by Vine Hotels.

Russell WBHO, a vastly experienced builder in the sector, intends to start work on the two-year build programme before the end of 2023.

The hotel will be located on a 0.5-acre site at the corner of Quarryfield Road and Hawks Road, close to the incoming Sage International Conference Centre & Arena development.

A network of pedestrian footpaths and crossings will link the hotel to the wider Quayside development areas and to Gateshead town centre to the west.

According to the project team, the hotel will accommodate 210,000 visitor nights per year, driving tourism to the region and contributing an estimated £13m to the local economy. The delivery of the hotel will create 75 full-time hospitality jobs and 40 in the supply chain.

Russell WBHO has delivered more than 2,500 hotel bedrooms in recent years across a dozen hotels for eight different brands. Among these are the £40m redevelopment of Liverpool’s grade-two listed Municipal Buildings for Accor’s MGallery boutique brand, which completed in May,

Managing director Gareth Russell said: “As a recognised specialist in hotel construction, we are extremely pleased to confirm our appointment to this new project in Gateshead.

“We take a collaborative partnership approach to delivery and our team is working closely with the client and the local authority in readiness for a project start later this year.

“As part of our commitment to responsible sourcing and social value, we will look to secure labour and materials from local suppliers wherever possible and ensure the project provides training and apprenticeship opportunities for local young people.”

The Gateshead hotel is being partly enabled by the government’s £20m Levelling Up funding which was secured by Gateshead Council earlier this year.

Speaking on behalf of Ask: Patrizia – a  JV between Mancunian developer Ask Real Estate and European investment manager Patrizia – Ask managing director John Hughes said: “Russell WBHO has a proven track record in the leisure sector and we are delighted to be partnering with them to deliver this superb new hotel for Gateshead.

“We’re looking forward to making a swift start on site and seeing the creating of another valuable asset for the Quayside area.”