BOURNEMOUTH is set to get its first ibis Styles hotel as Nq2, with Oceana Hotels, has taken joint ownership of the Hotel Royale.

The hotel, in Gervis Road, will undergo a £2million refurbishment, with the aim of opening for Easter.

Nq2 Hospitality Limited will operate the hotel on behalf of the new venture.

It comes less than 12 months after the Queens Hotel was taken over my Nq2 and became the Mercure Bournemouth Queens Hotel & Spa and joined the Accor group.

Director Toby Barnes-Taylor MBE said: “ibis and Mercure work very well together and they loved what they saw (at the Mercure).

“We went through it and the commercial side was the longest aspect but it was good to get it signed on Christmas Eve.

“We were overjoyed, it was an early Christmas present and it was a relief on top.”

Mr Barnes-Taylor will once again work with Janine Powell, Nq2’s design director, and they hope the hotel would appeal to the younger audience.

“Janine and I are hugely excited about it,” Mr Barnes-Taylor continued.

“We start work on January 4 and we are targeting to be ready for Easter.

“It will be a full refurbishment. Everything with which the guest would touch, feel, interact with will be different.

“ibis Styles are more fun and creative by design. It is a younger, vibrant hotel.

“Bournemouth is a great place that is on the up. The hotel market is fantastic and is growing, and people are realising it is a great place to come.”

Tim Seward, chair of BH Area Hospitality Association, said: “It is great news for the town, another hotel will be refurbished in what has been very challenging times.

“I think coastal hotels will bounce back very quickly. I share Ng2’s optimism for a positive 2021.

The Royale is fantastic, it’s another step in the right direction, refurbishing older hotels for the modern day, ready for what we hope for a positive year.

“People may not want to travel so it’s great for a summer staycation.”