More sites needed for new hotel chains in Jersey

Deputy Kirsten Morel wants to encourage visitors to stay in the island all-year round

A minister had said hotel chains interested in starting business in Jersey are having problems finding suitable sites to build on.

Deputy Kirsten Morel said he wanted to encourage more visitors to stay in the island all-year round - not just the summer.

The Les Sablons development, which included a 103-bed hotel in St Helier, was rejected for the second time last week.

Mr Morel said the "difficulty" companies were facing was "finding an actual site".

He said: "We are speaking to international hotel investors who would like to move to Jersey, without wanting to go into the planning side of it, we did see a really good part of the Les Sablons development was that it had a hotel part of it.

"We have seen Premier Inn open more than one hotel in Jersey, these are a really good indications that Jersey has a vibrant visitor economy that international chains are really interested in investing in."

Marcus Calvani from the Jersey Hospitality Association said planners needed to "pick some great new building sites".

He said: "I think it would be useful if we can have some kind of plan that's part of our visitor economy strategy, and start to really pick some tremendous areas that we can showcase and be proud of as islanders with some new build hotels or some adaptations of existing buildings."