Dalata Hotel Group Plc (“Dalata” or “the Group”), the largest hotel operator in Ireland, growing rapidly in the UK with a presence in continental Europe, today officially opens the Group’s first hotel in Bristol. Clayton Hotel Bristol City is ideally located in the centre of Bristol city and marks the Group’s 17th hotel in the United Kingdom (“UK”). The Group currently operates eleven Clayton hotels and six Maldron hotels across the UK.
2022 is a significant year for Dalata’s UK growth plan with the opening of four new hotels, making it one of the fastest growing hotel groups in the UK this year. In addition to Clayton Hotel Bristol City, the first quarter saw the opening of both a Clayton and a Maldron hotel in Manchester and later this year will see the opening of a Clayton hotel in Glasgow.
Post 2022, Dalata has a further pipeline of new hotel openings across the UK, which includes hotels in London, Brighton, Liverpool and Manchester. The Group’s current growth plans will see Dalata increase its UK footprint by 65% between the start of 2022 and 2024, bringing its UK room total to over 5,000 rooms.
Dalata is an award-winning employer, providing direct employment to more than 1,200 people across the region. The Group’s ambitious UK expansion plan will see it employ just under 1,400 people by 2024.
Adding 80 jobs locally, the new 4-star hotel is close to Bristol’s commercial centre and within walking distance of the main shopping and leisure districts. The hotel boasts 255
air-conditioned bedrooms, a bar, restaurant, gym, and extensive conference facilities. The new hotel represents a £50 million investment, converting the former Edward Everard’s Printing Works on Broad Street in Bristol’s city centre. The hotel’s main entrance is framed by the historical Art Nouveau façade, dating back to the 1900’s, which pays tribute to printing and literature greats Johannes Gutenberg and William Morris.
The decision to refurbish the existing building, rather than demolish and build anew is estimated to have saved 2,084 tonnes of CO2 emissions. These carbon savings are equivalent to the CO2 emitted in powering 264 homes in one year.
Bristol is the eighth most visited town or city in the UK, by international visitors. It is an attractive destination for both business travellers and tourists and welcomed more than
2.5 million visitors in 2019[1]. It has a vibrant and fast-growing economy with burgeoning engineering, aerospace, fintech, digital and creative sectors and was recently named the most innovative UK city outside of London[2].
Commenting on the opening, Dermot Crowley, CEO of Dalata Hotel Group said: “The opening of the Clayton Hotel Bristol City is a further demonstration of our Group’s ambition to grow our presence in the UK market. It is a fabulous property in one of the UK’s most popular destination cities. We are confident of the continued recovery in the hospitality sector and look forward to investing in other targeted UK locations throughout 2022 and beyond.
Our greatest asset continues to be our engaged people, in Ireland, the UK and Germany, and we are proud that we are generating significant new employment in the market. This will be the 17th hotel operated by Dalata in the UK, and our pipeline includes hotels in London, Brighton, Liverpool, Glasgow and Manchester. This is definitely a time to look forward.”
Shane Casserly, Corporate Development Director of Dalata Hotel Group added:
“Today’s opening of the Clayton Hotel Bristol City is another significant milestone in our growth story and demonstrates the strength of the partnerships we have across the UK. I am encouraged by the opportunity that remains across the region, which is a key focus for our team.
We were delighted to work with our valued partners, Artisan Real Estate Investors, Abrdn and McAleer & Rushe Construction on this development, which will be a flagship property in the heart of Bristol City Centre.”
