MONTH IN REVIEW
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HOTEL CONCEPTS
Dublin’s newest
hotel opens
featuring a
subterranean
cinema
The 40-room Dublin hotel The Devlin
has opened its doors with a unique
set of features including a 42-seater
subterranean cinema.
The hotel, that describes itself
as a “community hub” and “more
than a hotel”, also includes a rooftop
restaurant, terrace and cocktail bar.
Pure Fitout, the Northern Irish fit
out company, fitted the installation
and sourced and manufactured
nearly every feature of hotel from the
40 ModPods, to the timber paneled
rooftop restaurant and bar, art deco
cinema, bronze-finished Americana
Bar and Moroccan tiled bathrooms.
Five specialist timbers feature
throughout the hotel, including
the intricate Iroko panelling of the
Americana Bar, pitch pine ceilings
in Layla’s restaurant and walnut
burl to the free standing case goods
throughout the hotel’s interior.
Ronan Higham, founder and
managing director of Pure Fitout,
said: “We are delighted to have
helped turn the vision behind The
Devlin into reality. For a place like
The Devlin, the warm and luxurious
character comes from the bespoke
one-of-a-kind statement features
and careful selection of high quality
materials”.
December 2018
TOURIST TAX
Nearly 70%
of Edinburgh
businesses
support ‘tourist
tax’
A recent survey by the Edinburgh
Chamber of Commerce found that
69% of businesses would support the
introduction of a Transient Visitor Levy
(TVL) in Edinburgh.
The survey yielded views from 200
businesses and organisations from
across the city, from a range of industries
including hospitality, financial services,
creative industries and transport.
The research found that:
n 79% would support a TVL if
the funds were ring-fenced for
infrastructure investment in
Edinburgh.
n Support varied between industries,
from 50% in the hospitality sector
to 81% of financial services
companies and 93% of third sector
organisations.
n The form of levy most favoured was
a ‘per person, per night’ charge – as
used in many European countries
including Spain, Austria, Croatia,
France and Bulgaria.
n The vast majority of respondents –
87% – would like the option to review
the TVL after a set period of time.
Edinburgh attracts more than
four million visitors each year, who
contribute over £1.4bn to the local
economy. This number is set to grow
year-on-year, and is estimated to
generate an additional £485m for the
city by 2020.
However, with the increasing volume
in visitors, there comes a greater
requirement for the city to invest in
public services and infrastructure. The
Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce said
the idea of a TVL in Edinburgh has
been debated at a local and national
level for over a decade.
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HOTEL SALES
250-year old
Keswick guest
house sold
£720,000
The Lane Head Farm Country Guest
House, at Troutbeck near Keswick, has
been sold on behalf of local business
owners for £720,000.
Built in 1765 and used for agricultural
purposes until 1968, the property
comprises seven en-suite letting
bedrooms and a two-bedroom owners’
flat. The guest house is situated
between the “popular destinations” of
Keswick and Penrith, an ideal position
for visitors to the Lakes as well as the
surrounding attractions such as The
Theatre by the Lake.
The new owners, David and Suzette
Clarke, will be moving back to England
from Humble in Texas, USA, and
funding was provided by Cumberland
Business (the commercial lending arm
of Cumberland Building Society).
Haydn Spedding, associate director
at Colliers International, said: “After it
had been on the market for some time,
Colliers International was appointed
to market the property. We instantly
recognised the property’s huge
potential and were able to quickly
secure new owners.
“This sale further underlines the
continued confidence in the hospitality
industry in the Lake District and
Cumbria area, following last years’
World Heritage Site inscription.”
STAT OF THE MONTH
500
million
That’s the amount of guests
affected by a breach in the reservation
database of Marriott’s Starwood
Hotel brand
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