THE Premier Inn at the heart of Blackburn’s new Cathedral Quarter opens this afternoon, five days early, with £30,000 of booking for the coming year already taken.

The 60-bedroom hotel was due to start trading on Monday but its first customers will be welcomed from 2pm today.

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Already the £3 million development has 36 rooms let for occupation by Sunday and 44 booked for next week.

There are 50 rooms occupied the following week and 44 booked for the final seven days of November.

Last night 28 staff members from Premier Inn and the chain’s owners Whitbread stayed for a trial night with the 57-cover Thyme restaurant operating.

A group from the neighbouring Blackburn Cathedral, led by Dean Christopher Armstrong, joined the company staff for a special dinner.

Julia Marshall, the 42-year-old new opening’s manager responsible for its first days, said: “Opening a new hotel is a real thrill.

“It will be a fantastic day.

“We managed to open early because the handover from Eric Wright Construction went so well.

“We have already taken £30,000 of bookings for the coming 12 months which is very encouraging.

“Our range of 60 bedrooms, including full access ones with special wet rooms for our disabled guests, can take a maximum of 189 people and are available from £39 to £76 a night.”

The hotel employs 60 staff with four transferred from elsewhere in the chain and the other 26, including five teenagers not in education or training, recruited locally.

Darwen-born trainer Katy Haworth, 28, said: “It’s been a bit of a homecoming for me.

“It’s great to be able to come back here and train local people.

“I think the hotel and the new Premier Inn is going to bring a bit of the sparkle back to Blackburn.”

Pride of place in the restaurant, open for breakfasts and from 7.30pm for dinner, is a photograph of the cathedral interior taken by 10-year-old Jake Topping from the Youth Zone.

Blackburn with Darwen Council regeneration boss Phil Riley, said: “To deliver a hotel of this size ahead of time and secure £30,000 of booking for the year ahead is a remarkable achievement.

“It suggests that the faith of those behind the new Cathedral Quarter development is going to prove well-founded.”