An international hotel chain still hasn't set an opening date for its new Kent site - despite an initial deadline of December.

Hampton by Hilton says no specific launch date can be confirmed for its new Ashford facility but bookings are available online from Monday, August 23.

The effort to launch the Victoria Road hotel has been ongoing since January 2016, when plans were first revealed for a 120-bedroom hotel.

By November that year, the proposal had been approved despite concerns over the design.

But changes requested by planning officers as well as the applicant itself - including the addition of 20 more rooms - meant construction work only began in December 2019.

Last January, it was finally revealed after years of rumours that Hampton by Hilton - which boasts 2,774 hotels across the globe - would move into the now 140-bedroom building.

Also at that time, the company set the Victoria Road hotel launch for December.

But the pandemic soon put paid to those plans, as work on the six-storey building ground to a halt.

After the first national lockdown was lifted, residents were concerned by the use of 'shipping containers' to build the hotel's structure.

The modular construction has now largely been completed, and an opening is on the way.

Yet, in April, bookings could be made for the hotel from July 1 and now the earliest booking is August 23.

When asked whether this means August 23 will be the launch date, a Hampton by Hilton spokeswoman said: "We have had some delays in our opening date.

"Unfortunately I cannot give an exact opening date at this stage."

Listings for some of the 25 jobs set to be created by the franchise are still being advertised online, suggesting its launch could be fast-approaching.

Meanwhile, just last month, a Hampton by Hilton hotel opened in Canterbury after an eight-year wait.

The six-storey hotel cost about £20 million to build and boasts 129 rooms, making it the largest hotel in the city centre.

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