1200 apply forjust 60 pub and hotel jobs

OVER one thousand jobseekers have applied for just 60 jobs in a proposed new hotel and pub due to open in November in Londonderry’s Waterside.

Premier Inn says it has received over 1200 applications for just 60 jobs at its new hotel at Crescent Link.

It follows the revelation by sofa-retailer DFS in July that more than two thousand people applied for 14 jobs at its new furniture shop in the same area.

The 60 hotel positions are due to come on stream with the opening of the new Premier Inn hotel and Brewers Fayre restaurant this winter.

Premier Inn has worked closely with the Department for Employment and Learning (DEL), as part of its latest recruitment drive for its newest hotel, which will be its seventh in Northern Ireland.

Cathy Hopkins, cluster general manager for Premier Inn Northern Ireland said: “We have been blown away by the reaction to our recruitment drive for the new Premier Inn and Brewers Fayre restaurant at Crescent Link.

“As a significant employer in Northern Ireland, we are committed to staff training and development and believe that our ability to offer long-term career opportunities to our staff has been key to the demand for these roles.

“We are very pleased with the quality of the applicants and will work with DEL to review the applications carefully over the coming weeks.”

The 60 bedroom hotel, which will also feature a 200 seat Brewers Fayre family pub restaurant, represents a £6m investment into the local economy.

Premier Inn is Northern Ireland’s largest hotel group. When Premier Inn Derry/Londonderry opens in winter 2012, the hotel chain will have over 700 hotel rooms available in seven locations across Northern Ireland and will employ over 300 people.

Owned by Whitbread PLC, Premier Inn is an award-winning hotel brand, as well as the UK’s largest budget hotel chain, with 620 hotels and more than 47,000 rooms across the UK.