Regions NORTHERN IRELAND
THERE IS CONSIDERABLE ACTIVITY IN BELFAST, much of it fuelled by multi-brand hotel company Andras House. This includes a £2.5 million refurbishment of former Days Hotel Holiday Inn; a £4 million extension to Holiday Inn Express, adding 66 bedrooms; and the construction of Northern Ireland’s first Hampton by Hilton. Aside from Andras House, a £25 million Marriott AC with
188 bedrooms is under construction as part of the City Quays development; and Hastings Hotels is planning to spend £30 million developing Windsor House into Belfast Grand Central Hotel, subject to planning permission.
SCOTLAND G&V ROYAL MILE HOTEL, Edinburgh, recently spent more than £1 million redesigning the lobby to include a coffee shop and two lounge areas, plus free super-fast wifi. “Because business travellers tend to look for location, convenience and a quiet, peaceful stay, it is harder to increase this market share,” says general manager Martin Scott. “To do so we have worked at building relationships with our corporate guests – we connect with them on an emotional level,” he says. “This is where we can differentiate ourselves, as it is not a tangible asset but something we can do on a daily basis.” The Principal Edinburgh occupies five listed townhouses; a
Courtyard by Marriott has opened with 240 rooms; the New Waverley district is undergoing a £150 million redevelopment that includes two Premier Inns; and an £850 million project in St. James Quarter houses a 210-room five-star hotel. The George Hotel, Edinburgh emerged from a £20 million renovation and expansion this year; and Radisson Blu, Edinburgh, was unveiled after a £12 million refurbishment, bringing upgrades throughout. Expansions at Glasgow’s SECC and Hydro, and Glasgow airport’s addition of 26 direct air routes fuelled hotel openings in 2016 that include Dakota Deluxe Glasgow and Hampton by Hilton Glasgow Central. A 176-room Radisson Red and a Motel One, and the conversion of the Grand Central Hotel into a Principal hotel follow. Aberdeen’s suffering on account of low oil prices may be as-
suaged by construction of the £333 million Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre (AECC). Set to open in 2019, it will bring with it an estimated 2,000 additional hotel rooms. The Moxy Hotel opened this year, joining Holiday Inn Express and Crowne Plaza.
NORTH EAST
THE NOTABLE GROWTH OF HOTEL SUPPLY in Newcastle includes the arrival of Crowne Plaza, Hampton by Hilton, Premier Inn, the Vermont Aparthotel – 11 apartments next to the Vermont Hotel – Motel One and Tune Hotels. And Apple Aparthotels on the Quayside and the Westgate Road Grainger House Hotel develop- ment, a Grade II-Listed office block conversion by the Gainford Group, which owns the Vermont properties, open next year. The Grand Hotel and Spa in York will emerge from a £15 million redevelopment next year, doubling the number of rooms to 200, creating a 140-seat restaurant and giving the spa a facelift. Owner Splendid Hospitality Group is developing a portfolio of 20 proper- ties with more than 2,000 bedrooms, and to that end recently acquired the New Ellington Hotel in Leeds and Ibis York Centre. And the Royal York Hotel has taken on a new incarnation
as the Principal York, with 155 rooms, event centre and ten meeting spaces.
74 BBT November/December 2016
Top: Radisson Blu, Edinburgh; centre: Crowne Plaza, Newcastle; bottom: The Principal Manchester
NORTH WEST
STAYBRIDGE SUITES IS INVESTING £1 MILLION to upgrade suites and public areas. “In an ever-evolving business travel marketplace, reinventing yourself is key to staying on top,” says general manager Craig Patterson. Jurys Inn Liverpool is undergoing a £2.1 million transformation, including the introduction of 16 executive rooms. The Principal Liverpool will take over the mantel of Martins Bank in 2018 and a £25 million top to toe remodelling has given The Principal Manchester 270 rooms and 17 meeting and event spaces. Revenue growth at the Chester Grosvenor was 11 per cent year-
on-year to August and occupancy was 97.4 per cent for the month, the highest in the hotel’s 150 years.
BUYINGBUSINESSTRAVEL.COM
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