Hotel Owner March 2019 | Page 10

MONTH IN REVIEW MONTH IN REVIEW www.hotelowner.co.uk HOTEL FIRES 200 guests evacuated after Heathrow hotel blaze Over 200 guests and 120 staff were evacuated from the Radisson Blu hotel in Bath Road, near Heathrow airport, after a fire broke at the property on 18 February 2019. Eight fire engines and around 60 firefighters were called to the fire at 4:12pm, and London Fire Brigade said the fire was under control by 6:13pm. A ground floor sauna and plant room were destroyed by the blaze, and there were no reports of any injuries. Fire crews from Hayes, Feltham, Hillingdon, and surrounding fire stations attended the incident. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation. 1 compared with 2017. 2018 European hotel investment activity was driven by growth in the UK, Spain, Italy and Ireland. A strong level of activity in the second and fourth quarters of 2018 saw hotel investment volumes in the UK reach €7.7bn (£6.7bn), an increase of 24% year-on-year. This was driven by several notable deals including Project Dragon Glass, the sale of eight Hilton-branded hotels and single assets such as The Midland Hotel in Manchester and the five-star Beaumont Hotel Mayfair in London. Colin Low, head of hotel investment properties at CBRE Hotels, said: “2018 was a record year for hotel investment. The growth in key European markets such as the UK and Spain is testament to the strong fundamentals of the hotels sector which continues to attract robust demand from investors across the board. “Non-European buyers accounted for 43% of the European hotel investment volume with Middle East investors, mainly Israeli becoming increasingly active, accounting for 11.1% of capital deployed across the European region in 2018.” HOTEL INVESTMENT European hotel real estate investment reached €23bn in 2018 European hotel investment volumes reached a record high of €23bn (£20bn) in 2018, according to the latest data from leading global real estate advisor, CBRE. According to the firm, the figure represents a 3.4% increase on a “strong 2017”, and is 73.2% higher than the 10-year sector average. The total real estate investment volume for all sectors in Europe saw an increase of 0.3% 10 www.hotelowner.co.uk QUOTE OF THE MONTH “We are delighted to welcome the Mercure Preston Samlesbury Hotel to our portfolio. It is a fantastic hotel with enormous potential and is situated in an ideal location to attract business travellers and leisure guests alike” That’s what Kim Eivind Krohn, owner of KRO Hospitality, said after the company bought the Samlesbury Hotel out of administration, in a multi-million pound deal that has saved 50 local jobs 2 3 4 5 6 7 HOTELS Beannchor Group’s £4m Lisburn Square hotel given go-ahead The Beannchor Group has been given planning permission to develop a £4m hotel at Lisburn Square, County Antrim. The 52-bedroom property, which will be the first hotel in Lisburn city centre, is expected to open in autumn 2019. An artist’s impression of the new hotel reveals a contemporary look and feel to the venue, featuring a glass fronted ground floor façade. The hotel, which is named ‘The Haslem’, will have an contemporary open plan ground floor reception and a lobby bar and restaurant, accessed from the central piazza. The development will also include a residents’ gym, conference room and an underground car park. The property, which is aiming for four-star status, is an entirely new concept for Beannchor, which owns and operates some of Northern Ireland’s leading hotels and hospitality venues, including Belfast’s 5-star Merchant Hotel, Bullitt Hotel and eight Little Wing Pizzerias. Bill Wolsey, managing director, Beannchor said: “Our vision for The Haslem is to create a stylish, urban space that will enhance the hospitality offering of Lisburn city centre. The success of our Little Wing Pizzeria in Lisburn Square showed that there is a clear demand for high quality hospitality venues in the city and gave us confidence in this investment. “We are passionate about the creation of new and exciting concepts that meet and exceed the needs of the modern hotel guest. We hope that this new hotel, which will have its own distinct personality, look and feel, will be a fresh, vibrant new space that the people of Lisburn can take great pride in.” March 2019