Ryedale’s first Premier Inn is to open at the beginning of August in Pickering.

The 84-bedroom hotel with a restaurant and bar, will give the district’s tourism industry a major boost.

The new development on the eastern outskirts of the town, next to the Thornton Road Industrial Estate.

Pickering’s Premier Inn is part of a strategic period of growth in Yorkshire for the company with a new 105 Scarborough North Bay Premier Inn opening earlier in the year and a large extension currently on site at Scarborough South Bay Premier Inn.

Plans for the hotel were given the go-ahead by Ryedale District Council two years ago.

A report to the council’s planning committee recommended approval of the application due to the limited national hotel chain presence in Ryedale and absence of ‘budget’ chain hotels operating in the district.

The proposed hotel, the report argued, would address this and would contribute to improving the choice of visitor accommodation. The development is estimated to have the potential to generate 25 jobs and £1.4 million annual contribution to economic productivity within the North Yorkshire economy of which £1m could be local to Ryedale.

Owned by Whitbread, Premier Inn, is one of the country’s biggest hotel brands employing almost 30,000 people in over 1,200 Premier Inn hotels and restaurants across the UK.

Whitbread reported in its full year 2021 results that it is intending to open between 2,000 and 3,000 bedrooms in the UK during 2021/22.

A spokesperson for Premier Inn, said: “It won’t be long before we open the doors to our brand new 85-bedroom Premier Inn hotel at Pickering. We are bringing our very latest product to Pickering, including 13 of our Premier Plus rooms, and are aiming to welcome our first guests at the beginning of August just in time for peak summer season.”

The spokesperson added:“Forward bookings are looking good and we are currently recruiting new team members at the hotel to offer our guests the excellent service and standards we are known for.

They said: “With its proximity to the North York Moors National Park we are expecting the Pickering Premier Inn will be extremely popular year-round and we can’t wait to become part of the community and to start making a positive contribution to the local economy.”

The hotel is due to open on August 6 on our latest tracker.

A spokesperson for Visiting North Yorkshire, said: “As an organisation, Visiting North Yorkshire welcomes any expansion in the number of quality accommodation options in North Yorkshire, as this is good for the hard-hit tourism and hospitality industry in our County.

“Whilst we remain mindful of any adverse impact on smaller, independent providers, we don’t think they would be badly impacted and could see in increase as a result.

The spokesperson said: “More provision coupled with the relaxing of, hopefully, all restrictions should see a surge in bookings anyway.

“After that it is up to all of us, including organisations such as Visiting North Yorkshire, to ensure the County as a holiday destination stays uppermost in people’s minds, securing repeating and new visits.”

Phillip Spurr, Programme Director for Economic Development, Business and Partnerships for Ryedale District Council said: “The opening of Premier Inn’s new 84-bedroom hotel is fantastic news for Pickering.

“It’s a welcome boost for the town’s economy as it will bring jobs and additional visitor spend.”