Hilton Garden Inn Stoke-on-Trent, the city’s first hotel under the globally recognised brand, has been declared officially open.

It is the latest addition to the growing Hilton Garden Inn portfolio, one of Hilton’s (NYSE: HLT) 18 world-class brands.

The £20 million hotel is owned by Genr8 Developments and operated by RBH. It forms part of the landmark Smithfield development, being brought to the city in a partnership between Genr8 Developments and Stoke-on-Trent City Council. The opening is a further sign of Stoke-on-Trent powering up as the city continues its impressive recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.

The hotel provides 140 bedrooms, state-of-the-art meeting and conference facilities and a fully equipped gym for guests to enjoy. A stylish bar and full-service restaurant, The Garden Inn Bar & Grill, offers a range of dishes featuring locally sourced produce across its menu – carefully curated by head chef, Juan Jose Valdivieso.

Hilton Garden Inn Stoke-on-Trent pays homage to its hometown, and guests see the inspiration drawn from the city’s rich pottery heritage throughout the public areas across key features like the bespoke tiled welcome wall. Thoughtful additional details layered throughout the interiors include a nod to the Spitfire design, interpreted in the timber dividing screens throughout the public area as well as decorative etching to mirrors.

The Rt Worshipful the Lord Mayor of Stoke-on-Trent, Councillor Ross Irving, cut the ribbon on the brand-new property this week.

They were joined Stoke-on-Trent City Council Leader Abi Brown, Richard Ingham, partner at Genr8 Developments; Graham Dodd, managing director of development at Hilton; and Ben Carey, general manager of Hilton Garden Inn Stoke-on-Trent, to mark the occasion.

Councillor Brown said: “This is a landmark occasion and the hotel is a great asset for the city. It is a further sign that Stoke-on-Trent is ‘powering up’ as we recover from the impact of the coronavirus, and is the latest in a series of exciting developments at Smithfield in our city centre that show that Stoke-on-Trent is on the up. As well as the prestigious Hilton brand, the hotel brings skilled jobs and investment into the city.”

Ben Carey, general manager of Hilton Garden Inn Stoke-on-Trent, said: “Today is an exceptionally proud one for myself and the rest of the team, all of whom have worked tirelessly to ensure we are ready to open our doors to guests and locals alike. Stoke-on-Trent is an incredibly welcoming and friendly city, and we are poised to ensure our guests receive a signature Stoke welcome alongside the truly first-class service they would expect from the Hilton brand.”

Richard Ingham, partner at Genr8 Developments, owners of the hotel said: “This is another major milestone at Smithfield, and we’re delighted to be bringing this high-quality Hilton hotel to Stoke-on-Trent. The team has worked relentlessly ahead of opening in difficult circumstances and we are really looking forward to welcoming the first guests.

Hilton Garden Inn Stoke-on-Trent also features Hilton CleanStay, an industry-leading programme to deliver a new standard of cleanliness and disinfection across all of Hilton’s hotels globally. Developed in collaboration with RB, maker of Lysol and Dettol, Hilton CleanStay allows guests to enjoy an even cleaner and safer stay, providing peace-of-mind from check-in to check-out. New standards include a Hilton CleanStay Room Seal to indicate that a room has not been accessed since being thoroughly cleaned and disinfected, increased frequency of cleaning of all public areas, and flexible housekeeping options.