THE owner of York’s Holiday Inn Express intends to create 40 new jobs when it launches a new hotel in Walmgate next year.

The Sojourn Hotel Group will launch a Hotel Indigo “branded boutique hotel”, on the site of the former Infinity motorcycle shop.

York-based developer S Harrison Developments gained planning approval to build a new 102-bed hotel on the former site of the motorcycle accessory store earlier this year after Infinity finalised a deal to move to premises in Piccadilly.

Sojourn Hotels, which is expanding in the UK, is opening a Hotel Indigo in Edinburgh in August and also currently operates three other Holiday Inn Express hotels in Gatwick, Leeds, and Glenrothes.

The Hotel Indigo style is to be “as individual as its surroundings and also a reflection of them” the company said.

It featiures a unique design, plush bedding and spa-style bathrooms.

The three-storey building with reception and bar facilities, will provide employment for about 40 people. S Harrison said it had been designed to complement the Walmgate streetscape and would be built using traditional brick construction to respect the conservation area in which it was located.

S Harrison, which moved to the former Terry’s site in 2007, has already been involved in other regeneration projects in Walmgate, including the new halls of residence for York St John University students at Percy’s Lane and Gray’s Wharf.

Martyn Harrison, the company’s chairman, said the move marked a major step in the rejuvenation of Walmgate and the surrounding area.

He said: “As developers, it is our role to bring forward opportunities for investors and operators and we’re delighted to have worked with Sojourn to bring this scheme to site. Once completed, the hotel will boost the Walmgate economy and help the tourist trade in the city.”

Sojourn is franchised from Intercontinental Hotels, which also owns the Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza brands. It hopes contractors will start work on site as early as July, with the hotel opening its doors to guests in Autumn 2012.

Clive Viner, managing director of Sojourn, said: “Strategically, York is an important destination for us. With the recent Harrison-driven developments there, Walmgate is certainly an up-and-coming area.

“We are confident that our new Hotel Indigo, located within the city walls, will add to the rich variety of business and tourist accommodation in this vibrant city.”