Booming Dudley hotel plans extra 39 bedrooms as town's visitor numbers reach 9.3 million

The Village Hotel in Dudley has applied for permission to build an extra wing at the rear of the building, increasing its capacity by 29 per cent.

The news came as council leader Patrick Harley revealed that 9.3 million people visited Dudley during the 2022/23 financial year – an increase of 11.5 per cent.

Councillor Harley welcomed the news that the hotel was seeking to expand, saying it showed that people wanted to come to Dudley.

"It is a sign of how Dudley's visitor economy is growing," he said. "If the people like the Village Hotel are looking to invest in Dudley, that is great news for the town and its visitor attractions.

"I look forward to working with the Village Hotel and other attractions to get the visitor numbers up to 10 million."

A spokesman for the hotel said the extra rooms were needed to cater for growing demand for hotel accommodation in the area.

"There are opportunities within this corridor to stimulate the visitor economy and act as a tourism development, which include the Village Hotel and the provision of tourist accommodation," he said.

The hotel, which is known for its pool, gym and leisure club, was originally built with 99 bedrooms when it opened in 1999, with an extra 27 being added in 2008.

The latest plans will see a 39-bedroom wing being created at the rear of the hotel.

The extension will cover a total of four storeys, including a basement with undercroft parking, but will be no taller than the existing three-storey building due a drop in the ground level.

The new building will be linked to the existing hotel by a bridge.

Three of the existing bedrooms will be lost, taking the total number of bedrooms to 160.

The application says the hotel has a total of 350 parking spaces at the moment, but this will be reduced to 343 if the development goes ahead.

The Village Hotels spokesman said the proposed extension had been carefully designed to reflect the materials and style of the original building.

"The scale and position of the extension are designed in such a way so it would not dominate the site and would complement the main hotel building," said a statement.

"The extension would protrude no further south than the existing extension, forming a logical addition to the existing development."