A HAMPSHIRE hotel has created a dozen more jobs to staff a new 250-seater conferencing and wedding venue.

The £1.1m extension to the Beaulieu Hotel was officially opened with a champagne and forest fruits breakfast for potential clients.

The six-month project, which has almost quadrupled its function capacity, has been one of the biggest refurbishments in the hotel's history.

It has created a new conference and banqueting suite, five new luxury bedrooms and a guest lift, bringing to 23 the number of bedrooms at the three-star hotel.

The New Forest Hotels Group, which operates four hotels in the Forest, set up a three-person sales team to raise the profile of the new facilities, with six new full-time posts and seven-part-time jobs created at the hotel.

Hotel manager Jon Tilley said the extension was an exciting move for the business.

"This makes us one of the biggest function venues in the Forest," he said.

"It enhances the conference and weddings side of the business and can be used as a side restaurant as well.

"We are an ideal setting for corporate functions. We have great access - only 90 minutes from London with a rail link next door.

"It's an excellent venue for team-building in the peace and quiet of the Forest and we offer a home-from-home service."

Wessex Children's Hospice Trust has already signed up to use the venue for its annual Butterfly Ball on May 6.