A NEW 146-bed hotel is set to open in the heart of Southampton next year.

As previously reported, the former Southampton Park Hotel is currently being torn down.

From the rubble of the hotel will rise a new Premier Inn, with the company saying the new hotel will open next autumn.

The old hotel in Cumberland Place was one of the city’s most famous venues, proving a popular haunt for both Saints players and thespians treading the boards at the nearby Mayflower Theatre.

Daily Echo:

Formerly the Royal Hotel, the hotel changed hands several times in recent years, with its final owners the St James’s Hotel Group.

However, it closed for the final time last February after it had been put up for sale again, with its 40 members of staff made redundant.

But soon after budget hotel giant Premier Inn bought the sight site and was granted planning permission to build a new hotel.

Under their plans, the number of beds at the hotel will be more than doubled, from 72 to 157.

And the firm says its new hotel will create 50 jobs, while it is investing more than £10m in the site.

Geoff Cook, senior project and programme manager, said: “We are delighted to be bringing a brand new 146-bedroomed Premier Inn to Southampton. Cumberland Place is a fantastic and well-connected location, with a well-known heritage of hospitality that we are pleased to continue.

“As well as bringing greater customer choice to Southampton and catering for the growing number of visitors to the city, the Premier Inn will deliver £10m in fresh investment and create 50 new year-round jobs.

“We are excited about construction getting started on the site over the coming months, and are looking forward to opening our doors to customers in autumn, 2017.”