New hotel aims to be destination

PRE-EVENT DRINKS

- WILLIAM TELFORD

PLYMOUTH’S £9 million Moxy hotel could be open as soon as June and will have a car park, coach dropoff area and a bar which will be open to people attending events at the Pavilions.

Work is at an advanced stage at the Millbay site, and the team that will run the hotel is mostly in place. James Gardiner has been appointed as general manager – or “captain”, to fit the nautical theme – and Steph Lewis, from Plymouth, will be in charge of the commercial side of the venture.

Miss Lewis is the regional sales manager for the South West for Moxy and also covers hotels in Bristol and Southampton and “future pipeline hotels”, with the brand looking for other Westcountry locations. She said: “It’s great to be able to open a hotel in my home city. It’s a really positive regeneration story for Plymouth.”

Miss Lewis said the Plymouth hotel is already taking bookings for September but, providing there are no unforeseen delays, it is likely to be open well before that. She added: “That could be possibly as early as June.”