That hotel is here, it's called the Holiday Inn Express and the latest one in the global chain opened on King Street in Newcastle last week.

The 170-room hotel aimed at the corporate market is off to a flying start in Newcastle, according to hotel manager Rob Fahey.

It is the fourth Holiday Inn Express in Australia opened by the Pro-Invest Group in partnership with IHG (after Adelaide, Brisbane and Macquarie Park in Sydney). The Holiday Inn Express brand operates operates 2726 hotels around the world. 

"We have a seamless operation catered to what corporates want," Mr Fahey said. "We are select service. All that really means is we offer a 24-hour option. We don't offer room service 24 hours a day. You can order your meal, but you have to come down and pick it up.

"It's quick check-in, free wifi, free breakfast, a great night's sleep, a great shower. All the key touch points."

Mr Fahey and key staff  have been working for the hotel since last July. They have 50 staff across the housekeeping, kitchen and the main floor, and a good start on bookings as far ahead as Supercars weekend in November.

An opening special on room rates means you can get a room on the June long weekend for as little as $140 per room. Regular rates "are in the high 100s or low 200s," Mr Fahey said.

The hotel has 104 parking spaces ($20 overnight for guests), which are available to the public at casual rates starting from $6.

There are also meeting rooms (they can cater for groups of up to 40) and a 24-hour access gym.

The bar is available to the public from 4 to 10pm daily (with a daily happy hour from 5 to 6pm where house beer and wine is $5).

A standard room is 20 square metres.  In 33 rooms, the king beds can be rearranged to serve as two king singles. Forty-one rooms offer only king beds. And there are two superior rooms, which offer interconnection to an adjoining room. 

"We acknowledge anyone coming to Newcastle is not coming to stay at the Holiday Inn Express [as a destination]," Mr Fahey said. "They are here for a wedding or an event that has brought them to Newcastle. We see ourselves as a launch pad for them to go about their mission. That's great. We're happy to do that. Sleep, shower, wifi, breakfast and they are away.

"We are not a destination hotel where people come for a week and hang out in the hotel. That's not what we are about."

And yes, check-in staff proudly do coffee and bar service, too. 

"Check in staff double as barista and bar staff," Mr Fahey acknowledged. "They multitask very well. That's the key to the seamless operation."

Newcastle hotel projects

Mr Fahey is excited about the hotel's West End location, near the light rail, and major projects that will house Newcastle City Council, business and government offices, and a refreshed Birdwood Park adjacent to their front door.

"We are the second biggest to Rydges [in Newcastle]. They are 175. We are 170. It's quite a decent injection to the inventory in the city," Mr Fahey.

"It's about working together. Buildings like this attract bigger events. We all prosper rather than one or two of us."

He said the addition of the Little National and Crystalbrook properties within the next two years will be good for the city.