Belfast's hotel boom: Where the 3,747 new rooms will be located
Asian investors are eyeing up future hotel developments in Belfast, it has emerged.
It comes as a new report shows 3,747 hotel rooms are now planned for the city centre - more than doubling capacity. There are currently around 3,400 bedrooms.
Commercial property firm CBRE has launched a map of Belfast hotel developments.
It shows 27 now at various stages, including five under way and a sixth that is being extended.
Among the 3,747 rooms, around 500 are part of the Titanic Quarter masterplan.
However, Alex Speers of CBRE warned not all are likely to be built.
CBRE has received enquiries from Asia looking at Northern Ireland. Some may be considering hotel projects.
Around 1,100 rooms are currently being added across five under-construction developments.
They are the Marriott AC at City Quays; the Grand Central at Bedford Street; Hampton by Hilton at Hope Street; the Maldron Hotel at Brunswick Street, and the Titanic Hotel. Ten Square, behind the City Hall, is also being extended.
Projects at the pre-planning stage include an extension at the Bullitt Hotel, a 160-bedroom hotel at the King's Hall, and McAleer & Rushe's proposed 150-room development at the former Bank of Ireland building at Royal Avenue.
The hotel map is not the first of its kind. Website Future Belfast has been recording and tracking hotels and commercial property across the city for more than a decade.
During its launch yesterday, Jileen Loo, head of CBRE's Asia desk, said Northern Ireland was an attractive option for visitors from China and other Asian markets.
Ms Loo was speaking about the recent surge in Asian tourists to the UK and Europe.
"From beautiful castles in fairy tale settings to a capital city rich in history, Northern Ireland has much to offer first-time visitors," she said.
Mr Speers added that with a "strong demand for hotel rooms and an ever-growing tourism industry, it is encouraging to see developers addressing this requirement in Belfast".
"The hotel sector has strengthened over the last number of years and made significant strides in 2016 with the Bullitt Hotel and phase one of the Ten Square extension in the city centre open," he said.
Referring to the increased demand for rooms due to tourism and conferences, Gerry Lennon, chief executive of Visit Belfast, said: "Tourism has helped drive over £1bn worth of infrastructure investment across Belfast over the last 15 years, including Titanic Belfast and the newly extended Belfast Waterfront.
"As a result, visitors are now spending over four million nights in the city each year and hotel room sales have grown by a third over the last five years.
"Our hotel portfolio and capacity has been, and will continue to be, key to securing important conference business.
"Working with our partners at Belfast Waterfront and Tourism Northern Ireland, we already have 133 confirmed conferences for the city from now until 2022, which will generate close to 250,000 bed nights and an economic impact for the city of £106m."
ON SITE
1 AC Hotel by Mariott, Clarendon Dock, 188 bedrooms
2 Grand Central, Bedford Street, 304 bedrooms
3 Hampton by Hilton, Hope Street, 178 bedrooms
4 Maldron Hotel, Brunswick Street, 237 bedrooms
5 Ten Square (extension), Donegall Square South, 66 bedrooms
6 Titanic Hotel, Titanic Quarter, 120 bedrooms
PLANNING GRANTED
7 Bank Square Hotel, Bank Street, 17 bedrooms
8 Holiday Inn Express, University Street, 60 bedrooms
9 Jurys Inn (extension), Great Victoria Street, 80 bedrooms
10 Novotel, Great Victoria Street, 173 bedrooms
11 Odyssey Plaza, Sydenham Road, 420 bedrooms
12 Queen Street, Queen Street, 122 bedrooms
13 Sirocco Quay, Short Strand, 100 bedrooms
14 Hamilton Dock, Titanic Quarter, 244 bedrooms
15 Plater’s Yard (two hotels), Titanic Quarter, 275 bedrooms
16 The Waring, Waring Street, 37 bedrooms
17 Wellington Park Hotel (extension), Malone Road, 92 bedrooms
18 Bedford Hotel, Bedford Street, 78 bedrooms
19 Fitzwilliam Hotel (extension), Great Victoria Street, 30 bedrooms
PLANNING SUBMITTED
20 Corporation Street, Corporation Street, 250 bedrooms
21 Malone Lodge (extension), Eglantine Avenue, 27 bedrooms
22 Royal Exchange, Royal Avenue, 140 bedrooms
23 EasyHotel, Howard Street, 81 bedrooms
PRE-PLANNING STAGE
24 Bullitt Hotel (extension), Church Lane, 40 bedrooms
25 Donegall Street, Donegall Street, 40 bedrooms
26 King’s Hall Hotel, Lisburn Road, 160 bedrooms
27 Former Bank of Ireland building, Royal Avenue, 150 bedrooms
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