WATCH: Take a look inside the new AC by Marriott Hotel in Inverness
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A BRAND new hotel is set to open its doors in Inverness next month.
Overlooking Friar's Bridge and the River Ness, the new AC by Marriott on Glebe Street is now near completion and the official opening date has now been set on November 1.
After a year and a half in the making, the 191-room building is now only a few steps to welcome visitors in it's carefully-designed interiors.
Some of the passers-by might already have noticed the changing lights at the main bar at night, a location which gives some great views over the River.
This will be a focal point of the hotel, whose concept is to encourage people – guests and locals looking for a new place where to sit and work – to use the cosy and stylish common areas.
Sales manager Victoria Park took us on a tour around the premises, which are getting the last few touches before welcoming the public.
One perk of the hotel – a forward-looking move considering the times – is that no gas will be used for heating the building, which will instead be using a system which uses hot water, heated using electricity to provide for the whole building.
"Sustainability is key for us. We will be working towards our LEED certification, aiming for a platinum award in that – it's really important for us.
"Everything that you see in the hotel is able to be recycled, so should we not be here in 50 years we would be able to re-use every part of it."
Despite the size of the hotel and the staff needed to run it in a context which sees recruitment being a hard task in the hospitality industry, Ms Park said she is positive about where the hotel currently stands.
She said: "We have a good team of staff, we are all very unite in what we want to do and the experience that we want to give.
"The hospitality industry is now really struggling in terms of recruiting staff, however we have been very lucky and we have some fantastic staff here with great experience.
The dining experience will also be an important part of the experience at AC by Marriott.
"There is going to be a real European flavour to our restaurant," said Ms Park. "There will be a buffet for breakfast and then for lunch and dinner people will be able to experience some of our European and Spanish influences on our menus."
The new hotel aims to attract a variety of guests, from tourists to business visitors, from families to golfing tour-groups.
Each room has a king size bed, with the exception of twin rooms – which all have two single beds. The hotel will feature four accessible rooms as well as family rooms with lounge areas in them.
The Amsterdam-based company Hotel Co 51, who manage most of the Moxy by Marriott hotels in the UK and Europe – including their Aberdeen branch – will be running the hotel and will be the first AC Hotels brand in their portfolio, as well in Scotland.
