OXFORD’S new £12m Hilton hotel will help to meet growing demand for rooms in the city, according to its new manager.

The Hampton by Hilton at the Kassam Stadium will be the international chain’s first in the city when it opens on Monday, December 7.

The 103-bedroom hotel has been built in Grenoble Road near Oxford United’s stadium, creating 25 full and part-time jobs.

The hotel is managed by Firoka Ltd, run by former Oxford United chairman Firoz Kassam, and offers mid-range accommodation.

General manager Arun Kumar, 35, said 90 per cent of staff had been recruited locally.

He added: “This is a big investment for Oxford and a much-needed one – there is a huge demand for hotel rooms in the city and this will help to meet that need.

“We expect to have a wide-ranging clientele and will be well placed to serve the corporate and leisure market.

“The hotel will be close to Oxford Science Park and the BMW factory and will have good access to the roads to get to places like Bicester Village shopping centre.”

Mr Kumar added: “The opening of this quality mid-range hotel is great news for Oxford.

“We are five minutes away from the A34 and just south of the Eastern bypass, so that makes getting to and from the hotel easy, and there will be plenty of free parking. We are working on the finishing touches to the hotel.”

Mr Kumar, who has previously worked at Hilton hotels in Ealing and Hyde Park in London, said the hotel’s average room rate would be £105 per night.

Mr Kassam said the hotel with the Hilton brand was being built and managed by Firoka.

He added: “We have been investing in Oxford for many years and will continue to do so.”

Mr Kassam said discussions were continuing with the city council regarding the former Priory pub, on the site of a nunnery founded in 1110AD.

He added: “I did offer the lease to the council but they didn’t want it, so it’s my obligation.

“It doesn’t look right to have it boarded up next to the new hotel so it needs investment.

“It’s a listed building and hopefully we will have some news soon on what is going to happen with it – it could be a pub plus a restaurant.”

Hampton is a brand of the Hilton Worldwide group and there are more than 2,000 Hampton by Hilton hotels around the world.

A new £5.5m Travelodge hotel is taking shape in Abingdon Road, next to the Redbridge park-and-ride, and will provide 83 bedrooms when it opens early next year.

It was revealed earlier this year that Oxford was the fourth most costly location for booking a double room in the UK.

Martin Walker, a spokesman for tourism body Experience Oxfordshire, welcomed the arrival of the new hotels.

He added: “They will help to meet the demand from visitors and help them to be able to afford to stay in Oxford.”