Investor Andras House has acquired the Travelodge hotel in Belfast, Northern Ireland in a GBP8.75m deal with seller Tifco Hotels Group.
The leading development and hospitality company will add the property to its already strong portfolio in the region, where it owns more than 1,300 rooms in Belfast alone, including the Crowne Plaza, Hampton by Hilton and Holiday Inn hotels in the city.
Time for a refurbishment
The 90 room Travelodge will continue to trade under the budget hotel brand, with Tifco Hotels Group responsible for the franchise agreement under which the property will operate. Under new ownership, the hotel will soon commence a significant refurbishment, upgrading the guest rooms and common areas to the latest Travelodge quality and brand standards. Travelodge is already well through a makeover that will see all of its many UK properties revamped to the new design and colour palette.
Andras House was set up in 1981, and since then has built a portfolio of commercial properties in Northern Ireland. For the company, purchasing the Travelodge sees it turning full circle, as it originally built the hotel in 1991. For some years, the property traded first as the Belfast Plaza, before branding as a Holiday Inn until Travelodge took over in the mid 1990s.
“Travelodge is a strong brand at the budget end of the UK market which people recognise and understand, and we are delighted to be its franchise operator in Northern Ireland,” commented Rajesh Rana, director at Andras House. “It is a vote of confidence in Andras House’s expertise and experience.”
The acquisition was supported by lender Danske Bank, with whom the Andras team has a long relationship. Corporate banking manager Paul Currid noted: “The acquisition of the Travelodge complements the other brands the company operates in the local hotel market and positions the business for further growth as leisure and business tourism continue to gain momentum in Northern Ireland.” In 2024, Danske backed the company as it acquired the Etap hotel, also in Belfast.
Andras broadens its brand portfolio
Andras House will soon open the Marcus hotel in Portrush, as part of Hilton’s Tapestry Collection, with the launch planned in time for the arrival of the Open golf tournament. A further development that is planned is the conversion of a building in the city into a 136 room Adagio Aparthotel. The serviced apartments will be created by converting a ten storey former office block, Dorchester House, which Andras acquired in 2020. Originally there were plans to refurbish the offices, but the strengthening demand for visitor accommodation has prompted a change of strategy.
Further ahead, plans are being prepared for Andras House to develop a 165 room hotel for the Yotel brand. Yotel Belfast, which was signed in September 2024, will be a new build in Belfast’s Shaftesbury Square, the brand’s eighth UK property, and its first on the island of Ireland. For Andras House, the project will represent an investment of around GBP17m.
