Mercure Hotel in Newport latest as signs go up

Several years in the making, the Mercure Hotel development in the city centre is now in its final stages, ahead of its opening this spring.

And yesterday - Monday, February 21 - a new milestone was reached, with the Mercure signs going up for the very first time.

In recent months, visitors to Newport might not have seen much activity in the way of the hotel development – with the bulk of the work taking place high above their heads, inside the city’s tallest building.

The Mercure Hotel sign on Lower Dock Street, Newport

The 130-bedroom hotel occupies the top floors of Chartist Tower, and will have its entrance on Lower Dock Street, nearly directly opposite the entrance to Friars Walk shopping centre.

And it is here that the hotel branding has been unveiled to the city for the very first time, ahead of opening - now just a matter of weeks away.

Mercure Hotel in Newport: What we know so far

Initially, the 130-bedroom Mercure Hotel was set to open in early 2020, but delays - including the Covid-19 pandemic - pushed the timeline back.

Late last year, an updated timeline was released, revealing that the hotel would be opening in the first quarter of 2022.

It was as this time that the operator of the hotel was revealed as Interstate Hotels & Resorts – a US-based global hotel management firm.

Chartist Tower ahead of opening (left) and how it could look (right)

Announcing their involvement in the project, Interstate announced what may yet end up being the hotel’s star attraction – an outdoor rooftop terrace area, which will offer city views unlike any other.

The hotel will also have its own bar and restaurant, a small fitness suite for guests, and an entire floor for business and conference use.

Below, the hotel, which will take up 15 floors, there is mixed use retail and office space – some of which is already occupied by the Argus, along with an independent tattoo studio.

Initially, plans suggested that there would be 163 rooms, which was later reduced to 150, before the latest, 130-room total was finalised.

It all comes as part of a multi-million pound redevelopment of the tower, which first opened in 1966.

In recent weeks, a recruitment drive has been carried out, in a bid to find local staff to fill vital roles within the hotel.

Many of these jobs are understood to have been filled at this time, though vacancies for a night manager and sous chef are still posted to the Interstate careers website.