Dublin-based Staycity Group signed up to run a 98-unit aparthotel in old HMRC offices in Belfast city centre in its first opening north of the border.
It will run studios and one-bedroom apartments at Beaufort House on Wellington Place, which is to be repurposed into accommodation and renamed The Well.
There will also be a gym, reception, bar, restaurant and shop for guests when it opens in summer next year.
Developer Lotus Property was given change of use planning permission last year to repurpose the office space, which had been used by HMRC.
US aparthotel operator Sonder was previously attached to the project, before that arrangement fell through last year.
Now Lotus Property has entered into a lease agreement with Staycity Group for the site, with apartments featuring fully-fitted kitchens, along with space to “dine, work and relax,” the company said.
And it said it would be working on other UK projects with Staycity.
It follows growth in the hotel market in Northern Ireland, with STR reporting 7% growth in revenue per available room in the year to September 2024.
The accommodation will be aimed at corporate and leisure visitors – with its location on Wellington Place close to PwC’s new Merchant Square office.
Paddy Brennan of McConnell Property acted for Lotus Property in securing Staycity as tenant.
Staycity Group, which operates the Staycity Aparthotels and Wilde brands, was established in 2004 by CEO Tom Walsh and his brother Ger.
It now runs 6,000 aparthotel rooms in 36 aparthotels across 17 cities including Berlin, Birmingham, Bordeaux, Dresden, Dublin, Edinburgh, Frankfurt, Heidelberg, Leipzig, Liverpool, London, Lyon, Manchester, Marseille, Paris, Venice and York. Its Beaufort House unit will be its first presence in Belfast.
Alastair Coulson, managing director at Louts Property, said: “Between the completion of Belfast Grand Central Station bringing more commuters than ever before into the city and major tourism events, concerts and attractions, Belfast city centre is thriving and poses a huge opportunity for short-term accommodation offerings to be successful.
“We are delighted to partner with such a well-known operator in Staycity Group. This is another in a series of good news stories for Belfast and is also an exciting time for Lotus Property, with ‘living’ a huge part of our future growth plans as a business.
“We are looking forward to completion in the third quarter of 2026 to the benefit of the city and its visitors.”
Simon Walford, Staycity Group’s UK development director, said: “We are thrilled to announce the acquisition of this prime site in the heart of Belfast.
“The property will operate under our popular Staycity Aparthotels brand, featuring 98 studio and one-bedroom apartments that combine the convenience of hotel services with the flexibility of apartment living.”
Work has already started on The Well, with Belfast’s Staycity Aparthotels set to open for business in 2026.
Sonder is now working on serviced apartments on Dublin Road in Belfast in a project with Z Property Group.
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