WEYMOUTH is set for another major jobs boost.

Up to 90 new jobs are on offer through the revival of one of the town’s most iconic hotels.

The Riviera Hotel at Bowleaze Cove is undergoing a £4million refurbishment and will reopen by the Spring.

And the town’s Sealife Park has announced it is to take on an extra 40 staff.

The new jobs announcement follows the news in Tuesday’s Echo that hundreds of local jobs will be created at a £14million business park.

The Link Park at Chickerell will provide bases for local, national and regional firms.

Two recruitment days will be held at the Riviera next month with hotel jobs including porters, reception staff, entertainers and management jobs up for grabs.

General manager Kevin Bungay said the jobs bonanza was good news for the area during the Olympic year.

He said: “I’m excited about what this will mean for the town. It’s great to see the hotel coming back to life.

“The employment opportunities are fantastic.”

The Art Deco-style hotel, a listed building, was sold to Saudi Arabian company the Dhiafah Group in 2009 for £3.5 million.

Dhiafah is Saudi Arabian for ‘hospitality’ and the group owns more than 18 hotels worldwide with hotels in London, Paris and Geneva.

The Riviera has been undergoing refurbishment for more than 15 months and new facilities will include the brand new Bowleaze Restaurant which can seat up to 200 people.

Locally sourced food will be used in the restaurant and it will be open to both guests and members of the public.

All 98 bedrooms have been completely refurbished with new en suite bathrooms, plasma screen TVs, hand-painted canvases and exclusive furnishings.

Around 60 workers will be recruited for the hotel to start in March and up to 90 workers will be hired for the peak of the summer season.

Two recruitment days to be held next month will see potential workers asked to complete a staff audition and share their appropriate talents.

Mr Bungay used to manage the Farmhouse Hungry Horse pub in Portsmouth, the country’s biggest branch of the chain pub.

He said: “I spent the last five years living in Weymouth and working in Portsmouth and I was looking for an opportunity to work in Weymouth.

“We’re embracing the history of the Riviera – it used to be a 1930s Pontins holiday resort and a lot of people have a romantic stories or fond memories of the place and we really want to build on that.”

Anyone who is interested in applying for one of the positions should contact Mr Bungay on 01305 836600 or send an email to reception @rivieraweymouth.co.uk. The recruitment days will be held on February 2 and 3 at the Spyglass Inn on Bowleaze Coveway between 10am and 6pm.

See rivierahotelweymouth.co.uk for more information.

Forty jobs thanks to towering success

MORE than 40 jobs are up for grabs at Weymouth Sea Life Adventure Park due to the addition of the Weymouth Tower.

These seasonal jobs, running from February to October, will be a huge boost for the seaside resort.

The jobs will range from greeting customers at the door to serving food in the new restaurant and operating the rides in the park’s popular Adventure Island attraction.

There will also be vacancies in the park’s new gift shop and on the guest-experience team.

General manager Craig Dunkerley said: “This year we have even more roles as we are recruiting for staff for the new Weymouth Sea Life Tower.”