Premier Inn say that an opening date for their new seaside hotel in Sandown has not yet been set, despite a notice on their own website stating the hotel will open in October.
For the past few weeks, visitors to Premier Inn’s booking website have been greeted with a message saying that the 100-bed hotel on the Esplanade would open on 2nd October 2020.
Before the coronavirus lockdown, which saw construction work halt on 24th March, it was hoped that the hotel would be open in time for Summer 2020. It seems highly unlikely that the hotel will now welcome visitors this side of summer.
Anyone trying to book a stay at Premier Inn Sandown can now only select dates in December and beyond, suggesting this could be a new target opening date. In any case, hotels are not expected to re-open until at least 4th July as part of the Government’s lockdown restrictions.
A spokesperson for the hotel giant has told Island Echo:
“It is too early to commit to an opening date at this stage. We will continue to ensure the community and local stakeholders are kept informed of progress on-site, and will post any relevant updates on our project website (http://premierinnsandown.info/)”.
Construction work is set to resume on the Island as soon as possible, with contractor Carter Lauren currently working to secure accommodation for workers.
The spokesperson continued:
“We took the decision to temporarily stop construction work at the Premier Inn on Sandown Esplanade on 24th March. The site has been closed since 25th March with security in place to ensure it is safe and secure while our contractor teams are not working.
“The Government has emphasised that construction activity is crucial for the economy and should continue where it is possible to operate safely.
“Whitbread is following the Government’s advice and we have re-started work on many of our construction sites across England, working under the Government’s and the Construction Leadership Council’s guidance on social distancing.
“Our principle contractor, Carter Lauren, is looking to re-start work on the Sandown Premier Inn as soon as possible. Carter Lauren is currently in the process of securing accommodation for the workforce and finalising the additional measures to implement on site to ensure the team is operating safely and with social distancing in place. Once this has been finalised, the team will continue with construction work”.
