AFTER a transformation costing around £500,000, a Salisbury apartment hotel is looking forward to the return of more guests.

Peartree Serviced Apartments has been open throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, dedicated purely to key and critical workers, and from Monday, like the rest of the hotel industry, it will be opening up to anyone who needs a place to stay. 

The apartments along Mill Road, near the city's railway station, had undertook a £500,000 upgrade across the last year, and owner Arron Howle is looking forward to showing off the new extension to guests new and old.

"Excited” for the return of leisure guests, Arron said:“We haven’t been open for leisure but we stayed open for key workers as so few hotels had remained open.

“We’re quite excited as we have actually been doing an extension, which should have been completed last summer, but because of Covid-19 doing it was just a nightmare. It was completed two weeks ago.

“We are excited but nervous, which is always what happens before something big, but we’re really looking forward to opening to more guests, it’s been a long time.”

Talking about Covid-19 safety measures, Arron said: “Because we have been open we have adapted to the situation, especially in terms of being Covid-secure.”

Extra training, a check-in kiosk, electronic locks and frequent cleaning of touch points are some of the ways in which Peartree has maintained its safety throughout the pandemic.

MORE: 'We're all very upbeat': Hotels ready for bumper summer as lockdown eases

Arron said that some features will remain even in a post-Covid world.

He said: “Some people loved the new check-in but our regular guests preferred an actual check-in service, but now everyone is up for using these features, so things like that will stay in use.

“It’s great news that people have started to discover hidden places like us – we saw guests for the first time [during Covid-19] who are coming back again, so it will be quite exciting to see leisure guests as well as our regulars.”

Arron added that works currently underway outside the front of the apartments are “nearly complete” and will create “a more attractive, inviting entrance to the city”.

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