First look at city’s £15m Hilton hotel
Tuesday 24th August 2010, 11:30AM BST.
This is the first image of the striking £15 million Hilton hotel being lined up as the newest landmark for one of the Black Country’ busiest routes.
Plans for the curved 133-bedroom development to replace the rundown Fox Hotel alongside Wolverhampton’s Penn Road island have now been lodged with the city council.
Today it emerged around 48 jobs – four full-time and up to 44 part time – will be created if the proposals are given the go ahead.
A ground floor restaurant and shop space are also included in the project, which it is hoped will kickstart the multi-million pound regeneration of the city’s western gateway.
The hotel will be marketed as a Hampton by Hilton hotel, a major brand of Hilton Worldwide that has 1,800 hotels in the US and is rolling out a UK chain.
Planning permission is now being sought by Stourbridge-based Cordwell Leisure Developments to demolish the 1970s built Fox Hotel and replace it.
A report coming before city planning chiefs says the new seven-storey hotel would be a focal point on one of the main routes into the city.
It says: “The site has the potential to create a landmark to the gateway from the Penn Road.”
It is hoped a decision on planning permission will be made in November.
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it looks really bad!!!
is that the best they can do?
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looks impressive,hopes the council gives it the go ahead.
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Not sure on the looks as it sort of looks dated already!??! However, its got to be an improvement over the existing Fox Hotel. I wonder if it includes enough car parking for the guests of all 133 rooms? If not, then its not going to work in my humble opinion…and thats going to make parking in Wolves even more difficult than it already is!
Moriarty…
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i dont get it why do they need to spend unecessary money on hotels i think its just a waste of money!!!
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Who are the architects??
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Don’t worry about parking, nobody will come to stay in it anyway. Why would anyone come to Wolverhampton?
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Horrid!
I have been wondering about carparking too. Can’t see any way that the hotel can be built without taking Market car park into development too. From the image it looks as though the shops open out onto ring road. Obviously they haven’t been around there at rush hour time!
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I am not too keen on the colour scheme is looks like a medical centre as opposed to a hotel….
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oh please….
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Hi Becki,
The money won’t be yours so why are you so worried?
Who says it’s unnecessary? I’ve organised events in the city and have been embarrassed by the shoddy quality of most hotels in Wolverhampton.
And thank god we’ll see the back of the Fox Hotel.
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Except for 2, all negative comments so far.
Wulfruninans could win prizes for moaning.
Please get a life
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People also “moaned” about The Public arts complex in West Bromwich..this looks rather familiar.
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It might look similar – but it won’t be built with tax-payers money…
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The important bit here will be parking, the existing PUBLIC car park at the back is for the market in its current state.
Looks like the council will move the market deliberately so that Hilton can have their car park, thats my guess atleast!!!
Not a positive in my book as there will be fewer public parking spaces in this end of town.
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parking for the hotel will be at completely different times to that of shoppers so will not cause any major problems, between 6pm and 9am in the morning and not all hotel guest arrive by car,
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Watch when they knock down the Fox Hotel and dont bother building this new one. Leaving a huge eye sore on main routes through and around Wolverhampton, just like loads of other places around the City.
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What a beautiful building.
Just a shame it’s being put in Wolverhampton.
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To those complaining about the design, do you have any examples of new build hotels which are better? As others make the point, its a vast improvement over whats there already!
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creating 44 jobs in an area decimated by unemployment is surely the main thing, no matter what it looks like, how much parking space it needs or who’s paying for it.
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My word, how 1995…
Just wondering who the target audience is for this. Surely not the business market? Or the tourism market? Who on earth stays overnight in Wolverhampton unless they have to?
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Where are the flashing lights on the outside? Guaranteed to make any building in Wolves look better!
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This is pretty… pretty ugly. First things first..
1. Before spending that much money on a hotel, you need to get people into the city first and lets face it, why would anyone want to come here?
2. Its next to the market, which is a dump.
3. Its a bloody ugly design, something more striking could have been designed, just look up Tromso Library in Google, thats an amazing building.
4. On the plus side, the Fox will be going which is an eyesore.
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For once fox hunting is a good thing, that hotel has been dated for years it does nothing for the image of Wolverhampton. To all those people who slate the town, why knock us when we are trying to improve things, are you worried if things get better here then your home maybe next on the hit list!!!
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ugly looking hotel… looks like the indoor market
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Ok, Hilton are paying for this. It’s creating jobs and offering top quality hosting and recreation for businesses and locals to enjoy.
I really wish people would stop moaning.
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at last…. a sensible use of a City Centre site.
The building looks almost modern too.
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Oh my word, you lot, honestly.
No wonder the Lonely Planet says we’re the fifth worst city in the world if all you lot want to do is moan.
Here is a massive international company investing in Wolverhampton. The building may not be to everyone’s taste but it’s striking and modern. If other companies invested with modern architecture as well it wouldn’t look out of place.
The existing indoor “retail market” is an embarrassment, not because it was a bad idea when it was built but because it has long passed its demolish-by date. Better to get rid of its car park, knock down the building and move it somewhere else.
Ladies and gentlemen this is what we call PROGRESS. If everyone thought like the majority of you trolls we’d still be living in caves.
Hopefully your nimby attitudes won’t put Hilton off investing here.
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I totally agree with you – it is progress and a welcome improvement to a grim part of town. The only thing I could think of as I read all of these comments is why would any company want to invest in a place that appears to have such negative, ungrateful and ignorant folk.
I am shocked at how unsupportive people are being here. Wolverhampton is a fab City – I have family that come to visit from the North East regualrly who can’t get over how friendly and welcoming Wulfrunians are compared to the supposedly friendliest people in the UK. From Taxi drivers to strangers on the bus, shop keepers to revellers on a night out – people are kind hearted here. Clearly ( and thankfully) they have never had the displeasure of meeting any of you miserable lot!
Aside from great people, a rich multi-cultural society, Wolverhampton is a beautiful City with wonderful architecture new and old( if you bothered to look ) and is the gateway to some of the most stunning countryside in England.
And as for the ignoramus below, does it really matter where the potential workers come from or what their nationality is?! Whoever they are, they will contribute to our local economy which like anywhere, is in need of a boost.
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Looks like the indoor market !
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Looks cool, might stay there when im staying in wolvo next, perfect distance from the pubs and clubs.
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Maybe they could get Paris Hilton to come and open it?
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44 jobs for Wolverhampton I bet 43 will be Eastern European and a Brit manager. We do not need any more foreign influx into this now run down city
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I’d like to know where these jobs are being advertised. In the Wolverhampton area among local people ?
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The reason “Eastern Europeans” tend to work in industries such as this is beacuse they do the jobs that native “job seekers” won’t do as they are arrogant enought to consider cleaning below them. If you went into a local job centre and asked one of our delightful chavvy unemployed residents to clean toilets for a living they would tell you to go forth and multiply (in not so polite language) They don’t want to work, they’re happy living off the government. (There are honest, hardworking people out there looking for work, but they’re few and far between)
So well done with your institutionalised racism. Ever seen the South Park episode where they’re all shouting “they took our jobs!”? If not, I think you need to.
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well said
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well said Schnaffler!!
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The Eastern Europeans are hardworking and mostly do jobs that local people consider are “beneath” them.
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Why, oh why are Wulfrunians so bloody negative all the time ?
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Who the hell would want to stop in Wolverhampton???????????
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me for one.
Wton suffers from some pretty appalling hotels which are all overpriced.
This one is a welcome newcomer.
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So PJW, are you going to regularly use this hotel?
Wolverhampton, like so many UK towns and cities needs money, whether private or public, spent on today’s youth. Activity centers, youth clubs. Keep the kids healthy and busy.
Wolverhampton city center is a no go zone for most people now and a nice new hotel is not going to change that.
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a hotel doesn’t run on one person returning time and time again, if you have a vibrant, busy and safe City Centre it will make for a healthy social environment one which will attract private money and assist in greater public funding. This will in turn improve the facilites you make reference to, can only be positive in my eyes
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Do you seriously think that Hilton Hotels intends to invest £15m in Wolverhampton without doing a smidgen of market research ?
Just a wild guess, but I suspect they might know their business a little better than you do…
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Looks like the corner of Cardiff Citys’ new stadium.
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To all those people moaning… have some pride in your city. Why would anyone want to invest when so many people are so negative? I’m not saying that everything is perfect (and I think the new police station is hideous in comparison) but the only way things will get better is if someone puts their hands in their pockets to invest the money to make things better. The architecture may not be to everyones taste, but in the scheme of things that really is a minor issue.
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what an ignorant comment, shows how shallow you are when you generalise people
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Whinge, whinge, bloody whinge!!
Be proud wulfrunians; our city is in much need of development and this could potentially be one of the first steps.
I for one will be proud if this goes ahead to offer the convenience and attractiveness of this place as somewhere to stay should anyone come and visit our wonderful city.
Can’t wait for future new developments to add to this; we are a city for god’s sake and should be up there with the rest of them
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People do you not have better things to do than moan about a hotel.
Glad i got out of wolverhampton years ago its a run down TOWN that would make any hotel look poor .
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…but for all your disdain you can’t resist reading about the place and passing comment, hey ?
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Frank Smith…. MY MY Are you related to Enoch Powell. You post is a disgrace, racial undertones. What on earth has an asian restaurant has to do with this hotel. Secondly what evidence do you have about rat droppings in an asian restaurant and what excatly does it say about asian;s???? People like you and the negatives posts on here are a disgrace. We know Wolverhampton needs improving, we know it has gone down investment wise, but you obviously not got much intelligence to the fact that, to bring money into the city, it needs to attract people. A hotel has numerous functions, i.e wedding’s, conferences, business stays etc etc. And how is this city meant to improve on its image when we have knuckle draggers like you! Pathetic, Wolverhampton has the nucleus of a fantastic city, here are the facts:-
New Bus Station.
New Football Stadium on the horizon
New Summer Row Shopping cetre
New Indoor Market propose
Improved Infrastructure
Low Level Shopping complex.
Lastly Wolverhampton is a fantastic multi-cultural city with all races, creeds and colours living together. EMBRACE IT YOU MUPPET
GET A LIFE!
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Don’t worry about the land being derelict if no building takes place, i am sure there will be a mosque application being lined up this very minute! that should sail through!!!
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And why would that be a problem ? We should welcome any new building that replaces dereliction – mosque, synagogue, temple, church, supermarket, hotel, football ground, cinema. It’s all good.
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Personally I think it looks great and is the sort of catalyst this city needs in order to attract new developments, leading to more business being attracted to the city and greater employment opportunities. Looking around the City there have been very few new buildings of this calibre in the past 10 years. It will also increase the leisure spend in the city which is what is desperately needed and can only be a positive.
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