With 131 rooms, a roof-top cocktail bar, a restaurant and conferencing facilities, an international upscale hotel brand has signed up as the anchor project for The Forum, Gloucester's exciting £107m city-centre development.

Revealing the deal today to Punchline, Gloucester City Council has signed IHG Hotels & Resorts to deliver a 131-bedroom design Hotel Indigo for the under-construction project, an agreement that marks Gloucester's first acquisition of an international upscale hotel brand.

Willemijn Geels, VP Development Europe for IHG Hotels and Resorts said: "Each Hotel Indigo is unique and aims to celebrate the local neighbourhood, telling the stories of its people and traditions, as well as featuring work by home-grown artists and serving locally sourced ingredients in its food."

She added: "IHG Hotels & Resorts, has hotels in cities all over the world including London, Berlin, New York, Hong Kong – and now Gloucester."

Hotel Indigo Gloucester, says the Group, will offer a restaurant, conferencing facilities and "glamorous" roof-top bar, as well as access to The Forum's state-of-the-art digital innovation hub, a 9,000 sq ft gym, and a car park. The ground floor will also feature a further restaurant while hotel rooms will boast "spa-inspired" bathrooms, all internal rooms providing views onto a private courtyard.

In context, the hotel will sit alongside 135,000 sq ft of Grade A office space which is currently being completed by Kier Construction and is due for sign off next summer.

Councillor Richard Cook, Leader of Gloucester City Council, said: "The deal with IHG Hotels & Resorts is of huge significance for Gloucester because it marks the arrival of the city's first upscale hotel brand. By taking space at The Forum, this international hotel group is signalling its confidence in The Forum and in Gloucester's future as a destination for business and leisure visitors".

Esther Croft, Development Director at Reef Group, said: "This signing demonstrates the transformative potential of The Forum. The arrival of the city's first upscale, branded hotel will unlock further regeneration opportunities in the city, for example, large conferences and top-level rugby events. Gloucester will finally be able to offer the world-class accommodation these high-profile events demand."

She added: "We are hugely excited to partner with IHG Hotels & Resorts and put our city on the map, providing one of the most digitally connected and cyber-secure developments in the country right here in Gloucester as this visionary project continues to unfold."

IHG said Hotel Indigo is set to double its global presence "in the coming years".

Beyond the hotel, The Forum is an ambitious programme to rejuvenate the city centre and a central element of the council's King's Quarter regeneration, which aims to deliver two acres of pedestrianised public space. This includes the £5m transformation of King's Square, which was officially launched in April 2022.

Punchline says: Wow! What a fantastic Friday story for Gloucester. And what a massive yes to all the stakeholders in this bold vision to make our city a beacon for digital, connected business. We can't wait to book in, sample a cocktail while gazing out on the city skyline, dine in style and get a great night's sleep – dreaming of how Gloucester really is going places in the 2020s.