1,200 people apply for 60 hotel jobs

Over a thousand people applied for the roles at the new Premier Inn hotel at Crescent Link, which is due to open this winter.

Premier Inn has worked closely with the Department for Employment and Learning (DEL), as part of its latest recruitment drive for its newest hotel, which will be its seventh in Northern Ireland.

Commenting on the huge response, Cathy Hopkins, cluster general manager for Premier Inn Northern Ireland said: "We have been blown away by the reaction to our recruitment drive for the new Premier Inn and Brewers Fayre restaurant at Crescent Link.

"As a significant employer in Northern Ireland, we are committed to staff training and development and believe that our ability to offer long-term career opportunities to our staff has been key to the demand for these roles. We are very pleased with the quality of the applicants and will work with DEL to review the applications carefully over the coming weeks."

Premier Inn is Northern Ireland's largest hotel group, the hotel chain will have over 700 hotel rooms available in seven locations across Northern Ireland and will employ over 300 people when the latest addition opens.

The 60 bedroom hotel represents a £6m investment into the local economy.