Dalata Hotel Group has told investors that it hopes to add an additional 8,000 bedrooms to its UK portfolio over the next five to seven years in a bid to become the biggest operator of three- and four-star hotels in 20 British cities.
The Irish Independent reports that Dalata is aiming to take advantage of what it believes to be a "very fragmented" UK regional hotel sector and seize 10% - 15% of the market in each of its 20 targeted cities, which include Liverpool, Edinburgh, Cambridge, York and Oxford.
While Dalata has said that it recognises the economic risks that Brexit poses to its chosen cities, it believes they are outweighed by the opportunity represented by a structural shift in the hotel industry as international brands leave regional locations.
Dalata currently operates eight hotels in the UK. The news of further expansion plans follows yesterday's (Wednesday November 8) announcement that the company is set to introduce the Clayton brand to Scotland with the development of the country's first ever Clayton Hotel in Glasgow.
