Sheffield hotels: RTS Construction boss responds over delay to Marriott hotel at Catcliffe

The boss of a building firm has insisted a break in constructing a multi-million pound hotel near Sheffield is not their fault.

David Rose, managing director of RTS Construction, said a delay at the Courtyard by Marriott at Catcliffe “was not a construction issue.”

The Lutterworth firm is main contractor on the 150-bedroom hotel which has stood unfinished for months.

Yesterday RBH Hospitality Management, the company hired to run the hotel, said the project was on hold “due to delays in construction.”

But this was contradicted by Mr Rose.

He told The Star: “It’s been on hold for a bit, but not for much longer, we will be returning to the site shortly, in early 2024. This is not a construction issue.”

Mr Rose did not say what he thought was the reason for the stoppage.

And he insisted the site hadn’t been abandoned. Some workers were still doing “bits and pieces” including an electrician.

The project was announced in 2021 and hailed as the ‘first Marriott-branded hotel in the Sheffield area’. 

Recruitment for 38 jobs was announced in March this year. It was due to open in spring.

But today staff are looking for work, with some announcing their search on Linkedin.

They were employed by RBH Hospitality Management which confirmed the hotel now employed “no staff.”

A spokesperson said: ”Completion of the Courtyard by Marriott Sheffield is currently on hold due to delays in construction. This delay has impacted operational decisions. As a date for completion has not been finalised, there are currently no staff employed for the hotel."

The building stands on land off Highfield Spring and Poplar Way where the Waverley housing development meets the Morrisons roundabout at Catcliffe.

It is expected to serve growing business demand in the area and was set to feature  a brasserie restaurant, fitness centre and meeting rooms. 

Essex-based developer, Stapleford Ventures Ltd, secured planning permission in 2021. 

Marriott is one of the largest hotel chains in the world.