The pledge to complete and open Peterborough’s partly-built Hilton Garden Inn as a flagship hotel has been welcomed as a major boost to the city’s growth ambitions.

Civic leaders say that once completed in a year’s time, the nine-storey hotel at Fletton Quays will prove to be huge asset to the city, creating jobs and helping to attract many more visitors.

Their comments come just hours after the announcement of the eagerly anticipated completion of the sale of the 160-room hotel to Peterborough’s Leisure & Co Hotel Ltd, controlled by local business people.

Building work on the hotel is expected to be finished next year with the hotel opening in the summer when it will be operated by Lead Hospitality and trade under the Hilton brand.

How the new look Hilton Garden Inn in Peterborough should appear once completed

placeholder image — How the new look Hilton Garden Inn in Peterborough should appear once completed

The ground work for the hotel began nine years ago when the then Conservative controlled city council agreed to lend the developer £15 million to get construction under way.

Burt work stopped in 2023 and the developer was taken into administration by the council which later opted to sell the unfinished and pigeon-infested building.

North West Cambridgeshire MP Sam Carling said: "I'm really pleased to see this project finally moving forward.

“A high-quality hotel in this part of the region will be a real asset for Peterborough.

The view along the River Nene from what will become the roof-top bar at the Hilton Garden Inn, Fletton Quays, Peterborough

"It will support our visitor economy, create local jobs and complement the wider regeneration of Fletton Quays, helping make the area an even more attractive place to visit, work and invest.

“I wish everyone involved every success as work gets underway to bring the hotel to completion, and I look forward to seeing it welcome its first guests next year."

He added: "The hotel has sat unfinished for far too long, and it's encouraging to see the Labour-led council secure a way forward for a complex project inherited from the previous Conservative administration.”

Peterborough MP Andrew Pakes said: “If the vision behind the Hilton is delivered it will add to the development of the city centre alongside the growth of ARU Peterborough, Station Quarter and new pool.

One of the double rooms that will be available at the Hilton Garden Inn, Peterborough. A number of the rooms had been completed before the developer was taken into administration in 2023.

“I welcome the sale of the Hilton Hotel and the news that the new owners plan to complete and open it as a going concern.

"This could be another step in moving our city forwards.

He added: “But let’s be clear, the decision to gamble taxpayers’ money on a hotel that then went bankrupt whilst it was still being built was one of the worst decisions in 24 years of Conservative control of Peterborough City Council.

"Councils should be about looking after the public rather than spinning the wheel at the casino.

"This sale helps to get us back on track.”

Councillor Wayne Fitzgerald, the leader of the council’s Conservative group, said: “I am delighted that the hotel will be completed.

“It is still as relevant to Peterborough today and as it was when the project commenced in 2017.

"But I am disappointed that the administration of the council chose to give the building away. I think they could have done a better deal.”

Sale of Peterborough's partly-built Hilton Garden Inn completed with hotel to op...

Cllr Fitzgerald has previously said: “You can see what an iconic building this will be on the city’s landscape. It has changed the city’s skyline.

"People want to come here and they want to invest here they want to start a business here.

“The council wants to encourage people to visit the city and if they do, they have got to have somewhere nice to stay and what better than a brand like Hilton.”

Professor Ross Renton, principal of ARU Peterborough, said: “It will be great for the city when the new hotel opens.

"We will be able to make a lot of use of the new Hilton hotel especially for conferences and at graduation times.”

Hilton Garden Inn Peterborough is expected to open next summer and will be managed by Leaf Hospitality.

"It will offer 160 guest rooms, a restaurant and bar, meeting facilities, fitness amenities and a ninth-floor rooftop terrace with views across the River Nene and Peterborough Cathedral.

The hotel will also benefit from strong transport links, with Peterborough train station within easy reach and direct services to London’s Kings Cross in under an hour.

The hotel is also expected to create about 60 jobs and support Peterborough’s visitor economy.

A spokesperson for Leisure & Co Hotel Ltd said: “This represents a significant investment in Fletton Quays, and we look forward to welcoming guests to the hotel next year."

Paul Blackmore, vice president, development, UK & Ireland, Hilton, said: “We’re excited to see Hilton Garden Inn Peterborough moving forward and to reaffirm our commitment to this important project.

"Fletton Quays is an important regeneration scheme for the city, and this hotel has the potential to play a key role in bringing new visitors, jobs and energy to a prominent riverside location.

"We’ve long believed in the opportunity here and are pleased to see the project take this important step closer to delivery.”