Member Article

Newcastle Hotel wins RIBA award for architectural excellence

A landmark city centre hotel in Newcastle is celebrating after winning a prestigious award from the Royal Institute of British Architects.

Sleeperz Newcastle – the 98-bedroom premium budget hotel near Newcastle Central Station – was recognised by judges for architectural excellence at the RIBA Hadrian Awards in Leeds last night.

The award means the hotel joins a list of elite buildings in the UK that RIBA recognise as having achieved the highest architectural standards and which make a substantial contribution to the local environment.

The sleek glass fronted hotel opened in January and was built in a heritage conservation area on the site of a derelict former Parcel Works on Westgate Road.

This is the second time RIBA has recognised Sleeperz Hotels for the quality and appearance of its hotel build and design.

In 2010, its Cardiff hotel won the RIBA Wales Award.

David Myers, chief executive of Sleeperz Hotels, said: “We believe in acquiring land that is unusual and extraordinary in shape and transforming it into stylish landmark city centre hotels offering every modern convenience and comfort at affordable rates to leisure and business travellers.

To win two RIBA Awards for our first two properties is a monumental achievement and worthy recognition for our vision of creating beautiful budget hotels in Britain’s leading cities.“

Sleeperz Newcastle is only the second hotel built by the fast growing UK budget hotel operator. It has plans to open new hotels in Birmingham, London and Manchester by 2015.

Both the Cardiff and Newcastle hotels were designed by award-winning London based architects Clash Associates, who have succeeded in making the hotels into modern, highly-visible and instantly recognisable buildings.

Peter Clash, of Clash Associates Ltd, said: “This award is extremely pleasing. Sleeperz Newcastle is an innovative building made with quality materials and constructed on a difficult city centre site in the central conservation area.”

Newcastle based Metnor Construction Ltd was hired to build the hotel with around 90 local jobs created during the construction.

The RIBA Hadrian Awards are the regional awards for the North East from which the winners are put forward for the national RIBA Awards. The winners of those awards are considered for the RIBA Stirling Prize.

For more about Sleeperz, visit: www.sleeperz.com

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Matthew Moore .