Sandown Seafront Premier Inn to open this month

The new 100-bedroom Premier Inn hotel located on Sandown Esplanade is set to open its doors on 26 February. It will initially open to guests staying for work, education, or other legally permitted reasons as lockdown continues. 

Sandown Premier Inn will be the third Premier Inn hotel on the Isle of Wight and the first hotel on the island to feature the Cookhouse and Pub restaurant format. The on-site restaurant will not be serving any food or drinks on opening in line with government guidelines, however, and its opening date will be confirmed in due course.  

The hotel will however open with Premier Inn’s enhanced hygiene promise, Premier Inn CleanProtect, in place to help guests “stay with confidence”.  

Whitbread said it has been working with the local Job Centre Plus to recruit an initial 20 new jobs for the Sandown hotel.  

Further roles, including for the new restaurant, will be recruited once travel restrictions are lifted and the hotel fully opens.

Niall Hyslop, new openings manager for Premier Inn Sandown Esplanade, said: “While we’re opening our Sandown hotel in unusual circumstances due to coronavirus restrictions, we’re excited to be welcoming guests travelling for work, for education and for other legally permitted reasons at the end of the month.

“We are extremely grateful for the warm welcome we have received in Sandown since announcing our plans to open a new hotel and restaurant on the Esplanade.  We are investing here for the long-term and are very much looking forward to becoming part of the community.” 

He added: “Though we are opening our doors with a limited service in line with government restrictions, we expect the hotel and restaurant will be fully operational later this year.  

“Premier Inn hotels in leisure locations like Sandown were very popular last summer and once we’re allowed to welcome leisure guests and open our restaurant fully in Sandown, we’re expecting strong demand from guests and local diners.”