Two Irish hotel groups are making inroads on the lucrative London hotel business. Ryan Hotels has now opened the Hyde Park Ryan and Jurys Clifton Ford unveiled its new 69-room London hotel in addition to its four-star property.
Ryan Hotels acquired the 188bed Hyde Park property last year and has now fully refurbished it. It is located yards from Hyde Park and only 10 minutes walk from Paddington Station and the Heathrow Express.
The £11.4 million sterling refurbishment programme has equipped all rooms with up to date facilities, including ISDN lines and work stations. Its proximity to the West End and access to the Heathrow Express are expected to make it a popular choice for Irish business people.
The Hyde Park Ryan becomes the tenth hotel in the group, with six in Ireland and one each in Brussels, Amsterdam and Hamburg. The Ryan Hotel Group also acquired the Metropole Hotel in Cork, earlier this year. Ryan Hotels has had a good year with turnover increasing by 25 per cent. The new London hotel will make a significant addition to the Ryan bottom line as London prices are the hardest in Europe and show no signs of a downturn in the near future.
The Clifton Ford Hotel was always highly considered by the Doyle Hotel group and achieved some of the highest rates in the group. Now that it has become part of the Jurys Doyle Hotel Group its position is assured.
Following a £10.7 million project that has added 69 bedrooms, a conference centre and luxury health club, Jurys should see its investment pay off quickly in its new location. The Clifton Ford is five minutes from Oxford Street and Bond Street, on quiet Welbeck Street.
The Millennium Addition was officially opened last week by HRH Prince Michael of Kent, who also unveiled a public work of art, entitled `Light in the Darkness', created by Julian Stokes.
Speaking at the unveiling, Mr Niall Geoghegan, Director of Marketing and Sales for Jurys Doyle Hotel Group, said `this spectacular development programme was carefully designed to enhance the hotel's existing first-class facilities.'
