Bruntwood completes new Premier Inn opposite Leeds Arena

Family-owned property company Bruntwood has finished converting a landmark building in Leeds city centre into a 131-bedroom hotel, which is due to create 40 jobs when it opens to the public.

Hepworth Point, located on Clay Pit Lane opposite the Leeds Arena development, was formerly an office building with 45,000 sq ft of space. Standing 10 storeys high, it represented the ideal opportunity to create a new Premier Inn on the north side of the city.

The Leeds Arena development is due to open in 2013 and will host entertainment events including music concerts, comedy shows, sports competitions and family exhibitions. With a planned capacity of 13,500, it will be well-served by the new accommodation managed by office space provider Bruntwood.

"Bruntwood are delighted to have completed the conversion of Hepworth Point in Leeds and to welcome Premier Inn as a customer," said Craig Burrow, Bruntwood’s director of Leeds. “We’re now looking for further opportunities within Leeds to expand our core offering, as our customers continue to respond positively to the Bruntwood way of doing business here."

Senior representatives for Whitbread Hotels and Restaurants, the parent company of Premier Inn, expressed their delight at the quality of the building and its location, which is also useful for access to the university and other areas of the city centre. Acquisition specialist WSB Property Consultants LLP agreed that the position of the building made the new development a key part of Premier Inn's collection of venues.

Premier Inn currently offers a total of 47,000 bedrooms across the UK and hopes to expand to 65,000 before 2016.

Bruntwood remains very committed to the provision of high-quality commercial facilities in Leeds, with everything from large suites to virtual office services. It also provides conference rooms that businesses in Leeds may find useful for a variety of events.

The company has recently obtained planning permission to develop another central Leeds building, in the form of City House, which is directly above Leeds railway station. It has joined forces with Leeds City Council and Network Rail to improve both the station and the 120,000 sq ft building.

Website: http://www.bruntwood.co.uk/

Lauren Knowles

Bruntwood is a family owned commercial property company with over 30 years' experience of providing great offices. Bruntwood owns over 100 office buildings in Liverpool, Leeds, Manchester and Birmingham. It provides office space, serviced offices and virtual offices, from one desk for one month, to entire office buildings for 25 years. Bruntwood also offers retail space and meeting rooms to hire within its buildings. The essential elements of the Bruntwood promise are to provide a wide choice of offices, commercial flexibility, world class customer service and long-term value for money. Each year Bruntwood donates over 10% of its annual profits to arts, civic and charitable causes and takes every opportunity to involve its customers.