Tetrarch Capital got the go-ahead from An Bord Pleanála for a 158-bedroom seven storey €16m boutique hotel behind the former Clerys department store, converting Sackville House into the new hotel. Tetrarch Capital owns the Citywest Hotel (Ireland;s largest at 789 bedrooms), Mount Juliet, the Marker in Dublin’s silicon docks and the Powerscourt Hotel in Co Wicklow.
Trivago reports that London hotel prices are at their lowest since March, at £143/€168 per night, down 16pc from July and 15pc on August 2015. Edinburgh hotel prices are 41pc more expensive than London.
The Curran Court Hotel in Co Antrim was put on the market by the receiver.
The imminent €180m sale of 399 room DoubleTree by Hilton (formerly Burlington) hotel to German asset manager DekaBank will mean that owners Blackstone will double their money, they paid €67m for the hotel in 2012 and spent €20m on refurbishment.
France, despite hosting the 2016 UEFA European Championship from 10 June to 10 July saw hotel occupancy fall 5.5pc to 68.2pc, ADR decline 7.5pc to €138.43 ($156.71) and RevPAR drop 12.6pc to €94.34 ($106.79). Turkey saw occupancy fall 23.9pc to 51pc, ADR decline 17.2pc to 271.85 Turkish lira ($92.34), and RevPAR drop 37pc to 138.55 Turkish lira ($47.06).
The July 2016 Pipeline Report from STR Global shows 148,483 rooms in 966 projects under contract in Europe, up 13pc on July 2015. Europe reported 63,353 rooms in 424 projects in construction for the month, up 18.4pc. Greater London reported the most rooms in construction with 5,400 rooms in 32 hotels.
Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts has appointed Olivier Chavy as its new CEO.
Marriott International has opened its second Moxy hotel in Germany, the 176-room Moxy Frankfurt Eschborn, which is owned by Vastint Hospitality and operated as a franchise by Nordic Hospitality AS.
The 225-room Hotel Pulitzer Amsterdam, which opened August 15, has joined 25 canal houses from the 17th and 18th centuries located on the city’s Prinsengracht canal. Formerly a part of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide’s Luxury collection, the independent property is now affiliated with Preferred Hotels & Resorts.
Hilton Worldwide Holdings has signed its second hotel in Lithuania, with the news that it has struck up a franchise agreement with Vičiūnai Group for the 175-room DoubleTree by Hilton Vilnius City Center, which will open in 2019.
Madrid-based Room Mate Hotels has opened two boutique properties in Barcelona, the company’s flagship 81-room Room Mate Anna, located on the famed Passeig de Gràcia, and Room Mate Carla, an 88-room property on Calle Mallorca.
InterContinental Hotels Group has signed a franchise agreement with Bathroad Corp Sarl for a dual-branded development close at London Heathrow Airport. The two properties in the development will be a 433-key Holiday Inn and 190-key Staybridge Suites and will open in 2018.
IHG has signed an agreement with developer UBM Development AG to bring a Holiday Inn to Gdansk, Poland, which will open in 2019 with 236 rooms. It will be the sixth property in Poland for IHG, and there are another six Polish assets in its pipeline.
Airbnb now has a disruptor of its own: The Wall Street Journal reports that a new San Francisco-based startup could simplify the process of regulating Airbnb for cities and municipalities. The startup, named Host Compliance, helps cities “crack down on Airbnb abuses by rooting out rental listings that violate local laws” by compiling data on listings and providing reports on those that might violate law regulations.
Jason Burdock joined Lynda Booth’s Blackrock Cookery School from Mulberry Gardens and Delahunt. Shonagh Byrne joined The Key Collection as front office manager of Handels Hotel. Niamh Donegan joined An Grianan in Co. Louth as interim GM from Dunbrody House. Anthony Donohue joined the Irish Whiskey Museum on College Green as operations manager from the Coach House in Gorey. Niamh Eagan joined CIE Tours to head up reservations for their bespoke chauffeur driven tours of Ireland. Katie Farrell has been appointed director of sales at The Westbury. Sarah Flavin joined Clontarf Castle hotel as deputy GM from the Clarion in Cork and Limerick. Sean Foley joined Dromhall Hotel in Killarney as GM from the Strand Hotel in Limerick. Palmerstown House appointed Sinead McGoldrick as weddings and events manager from Trim Castle and Ballymagarvey Village. Mate Szakacs joined the Sandymount Hotel as senior duty manager from The Spencer Hotel. Vickie Whelan joined Mount Wolseley Resort from the Dolmen Hotel.
