Belfast hotel announces £ 18m refurbishment
IHG acquires 51 % stake in Regent Hotels and Resorts
York ’ s Grand Hotel & Spa doubles in size with 100 new luxury rooms
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REFURBISHMENT
Belfast hotel announces £ 18m refurbishment
The Ten Square Hotel in Belfast city centre has announced its plan to create a new spa and gym and an additional 66 bedrooms in an £ 18m investment .
Loughview Leisure Group , which owns the hotel , made the investment with Ulster Bank ’ s backing to upgrade and expand the hotel , including a newly opened rooftop champagne and cocktail bar called ‘ The Loft ’.
Kenton Hilman , Ulster Bank head of corporate banking , said : “ This multi-million pound upgrade to one of Belfast ’ s most centrally located hotels will significantly enhance the visitor experience , add to the city ’ s tourism offering , and create valuable new jobs .
“ Ulster Bank is very pleased to be working with Loughview Leisure Group to help make the investment a reality and in doing so add value to the local economy .”
Christopher Kearney , Loughview Leisure Group finance director , said : “ We are very pleased to be completing such a significant project which will enhance our guests ’ experience and help ensure that the hotel is at the forefront of Belfast ’ s constantly evolving visitor offering .”
Since the hotel opened eight years ago it ’ s gone from strength to strength , continually adding to the luxury experience it offers its visitors .
Sir Gary Verity
ACQUISITION
IHG acquires 51 % stake in Regent Hotels and Resorts
InterContinental Hotels Group ( IHG ) has acquired a 51 % stake in Regent Hotels and Resorts for $ 39m (£ 28m ).
IHG will bring Regent into its portfolio and aims to grow the brand from its six current properties to over 40 hotels in key global gateway city and resort locations .
The acquisition of Regent is part of IHG ’ s new strategic initiative focused on expanding its footprint in the $ 60bn (£ 43bn ) luxury hotel sector .
Keith Barr , CEO of IHG , said : “ We see a real opportunity to unlock Regent ’ s enormous potential and accelerate its growth globally . In addition , by creating a dedicated luxury division , we will be bringing together some of the most experienced and respected people in the industry who will help drive our luxury offer , ensuring that our existing luxury brands continue to evolve and allowing us to bring in new brands such as Regent to enhance our brand portfolio .”
In February 2018 Intercontinental Hotels Group ( IHG ) said it would launch a new upscale conversion brand as well as acquire luxury brands later in the year .
At the time Barr said : “ In recent years , we have built a powerful and effective enterprise which has supported our transition to being fully asset light , and driven strong performance across our 5,300 hotels . Today we are announcing a series of new initiatives that build on our wellestablished strategy and will drive an acceleration in our growth rate .
“ We moved at pace to develop and roll-out the concept for our new mainstream brand , Avid Hotels . Since September we have signed 75 hotels , with the first due to open later this year and a global launch being planned .”
EXPANSION
York ’ s Grand Hotel & Spa doubles in size with 100 new luxury rooms
York ’ s Grand Hotel & Spa has doubled in size with the official opening of 100 new luxury hotel rooms as part of a £ 15m redevelopment .
The ribbon was cut by Sir Gary Verity and Lord Mayor of York , councillor Barbara Boyce , alongside general manager Philip Bolson and Splendid Hospitality CEO Stuart Bailey .
The development doubles the number of five-star hotel rooms in York , generating a reported additional £ 1.7 million of annual visitor expenditure for the local economy .
The new rooms are inspired by The Grand ’ s Edwardian past as the headquarters of the North Eastern Railway . Complementing the hotel ’ s pre-existing 107 rooms , the interiors of the new rooms include marble-finished bathrooms and luxury bath products as well as Egyptian cotton linen .
Bolson , commenting on the expansion , said : “ We ’ re so excited to unveil our stunning new rooms as part of our redevelopment and extension plans . It ’ s a pleasure to stand beside Sir Gary Verity and our Lord Mayor of York , Councillor Barbara Boyce , to commemorate the occasion .
“ Our new rooms will undoubtedly provide an incredible boost to the York tourism and leisure economy , and expand our luxury offering to leisure and business travellers from around the world .”
April 2018 www . hotelowner . co . uk 11