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Meliá Hotels International, Spain’s largest hotel group, has made a wave of new appointments for the upcoming opening of Innside Newcastle, which is now set for launch on Monday 4 January 2021.
Following the Government’s announcement of Tier 3 restrictions in Newcastle, InnsideNewcastle has postponed its mid-December opening until the New Year.
Cluster general manager, Garry Fortune, said: “In light of the recent tier structures, we have made the decision to postpone the launch of the hotel for just a couple of weeks, meaning that we will now open a new hotel in the New Year, with a new team and of course in a new city. We are very much looking forward to opening in Newcastle, on Monday 4 January.”
One of the hotel’s new appointments includes the placement of a new sales manager – to focus on the launch on Innside’s second UK site. The global hotel brand has appointed Shireen Rowley for the new role, where she will be responsible for the hotel’s business development and sales activity from pre-opening stage to launch.
Before joining Innside by Meliá, Rowley took the lead as director of business development at The Sandman Newcastle Hotel whilst supporting sales of their Gatwick and Aberdeen properties.
Prior to this she was part of the Sodexo Prestige team, steering the sales and marketing functions for NUFC and Tyne and Wear Museums. Rowley has also been part of the sales teams at Barceló Hotels, County Durham and McDonald Linden Hall Hotel.
Also making up the wider Newcastle hotel team is cluster general manager, Garry Fortune; cluster director of sales, Scott Brown, who joined Meliá Hotels International earlier this year, and Tom Meara as cluster revenue manager.
Mélia has also announced plans to launch a new Innside hotel in Liverpool, set for spring 2021 – and further hotels in the North of the UK earmarked to launch in 2022. The cluster team will assist with the phased opening of all new hotels.
Brown added: “It’s an incredibly exciting time for Innside by Meliá, as we look to expand our properties in the UK. It’s great to have the addition of Shireen Rowley in Newcastle, supporting the brand’s cluster team to bring the Innside experience and stay philosophy to the North East.”
The 161-room Innside Newcastle hotel is located in the heart of the city on the historical Quayside and will feature a restaurant and five multi-functional meeting spaces with maximum capacity for up to 170 banqueting.
