Newport's new four-star hotel, due to open at Chartist Tower, has started recruiting 50 staff.

The Mercure Hotel, which is set to open in early 2020 right in the heart of the city, is looking to recruit a full complement of staff - with roles covering front of house, housekeeping, kitchen staff, management and sales.

The 15-floor luxury hotel will include 150 bedrooms, a restaurant with 65 covers and a fitness suite.

Located in Newport’s tallest building, Chartist Tower, the hotel is part of a massive £12m transformation by owners Garrison Barclay Estates.

The regeneration of the 1960s former office building, which is part-funded by the Welsh Government and Coutts bank, also includes 30,000sq ft of office space and 18,000sq ft of retail space.

Andrew McCarthy, managing director of Garrison Barclay Estates, said: “We’re delighted to be bringing a job boost to Newport and breathing life into this fantastic city centre building.

"The development is gaining momentum, with the striking new exterior taking shape. Due to its scale, the project is taking us longer than we originally anticipated, and we want it to be fully complete before we open our doors to the public.”

The hotel will be operated as a Mercure under a franchise agreement with Accor, the hotel group under which the brand operates.

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The Mercure brand can be seen in more than 80 hotels within the UK and more than 800 worldwide. The latest addition to the Mercure collection further bolsters Accor’s global network of 4,800 hotels, resorts and residences across 100 countries.

Phillip Lassman, vice president of development, Accor Northern Europe, said: “The Mercure brand has strong appeal across the UK and this signing is another example of our commitment to growing the network through strong franchise partnerships.

"Mercure is an ideal hotel brand for Garrison Barclay Estates in this landmark city location as it provides the flexibility of incorporating local elements to the design and guest experience while offering internationally recognised quality standards for guests.

"We are confident that the combination of the brand, the prominence of the Chartist Tower and a high-quality local team will attract business and leisure guests alike and provide a new focus for the city centre.”

The new Mercure Hotel will go some way to meet the current lack of available quality hotel space in the city when the new £84m ICC Wales at the Celtic Manor Resort brings conferences and delegates from around the world to the region.

Mr McCarthy said: “When we acquired the building, we commissioned a report from industry experts at CBRE Hotels who identified a need for at least eight to 12 new hotels in South Wales to cater for the demand.

"With the ICC likely to bring thousands of delegates to the area, our hotel will go some way in catering for this increased demand.”

Chartist Tower is one of two developments Garrison Barclay Estates has underway in Newport city centre.

The other is a transformation of the former Royal Mail building at Mill Street into a thriving new commercial centre.

The 50,000 sq ft development will address the current shortage of office space in the centre and will provide flexible leases to attract the city's growing number of ambitious start-up firms.

Mr McCarthy said: “We have real confidence in Newport and we are positive that our developments will help give the city centre a much brighter future as part of the wider regeneration plans.”