A NEW hotel has opened for business in Huddersfield – in record time.

Travelodge has opened its 62-bedroom hotel at the Spindlegate development on Leeds Road ready for an expected busy Christmas period – and just 27 weeks after the first turf was cut.

Travelodge has created 14 jobs at the new hotel, with local people recruited to fill roles including day-time receptionists, night receptionists, guest room cleaners and housekeepers.

The hotel at Spindlegate is one of nine new sites to be opened by Travelodge in the run-up to Christmas – creating 160 jobs in total. Others include ones in Birmingham, Doncaster, Liverpool, London, Manchester and Bolton.

Travelodge, which already has a site at Mirfield, said the latest additions took its total to almost 500 hotels providing more than 35,000 rooms. The company plans to increase its hotels to 1,100 by 2025.

The new hotel is the latest local success for Leeds-based GMI Construction and construction consultancy Rex Procter & Partners, which has offices in Bradford, Leeds and London.

The team delivered a design-and-build project for the Travelodge on Leeds Road, with GMI Construction also undertaking the role of architect as well as the main contractor.

The new building is the latest to be constructed on the Spindlegate mixed-use development, which was formerly the site of James Robinson chemicals.

The hotel was built in response to a demand for additional hotel accommodation in Huddersfield, a view supported by Kirklees Council, which also sees Spindlegate as contributing regenerating the Leeds Road corridor.

Work has also been completed on a Costa Coffee drive-thru at Spindlegate, which will open shortly.

James Poskitt, managing director of GMI Property Company, said: “The development was a fantastic achievement, with the construction of the Travelodge completed in record time – 27 weeks from starting on site to completion. The hotel was trading two days after completion which is testament to the quality of the finishes.”

Jarrod Best, managing director of GMI Construction, said “It is great to be a part of the project team that has delivered this modern hotel facility into Yorkshire, as the Kirklees region as a whole benefits from the regeneration going forward into the future.

“GMI is playing an active part in this redevelopment as work on a new engineering centre is also well under way for Kirklees College.”