Following the signing of an Agreement for Lease, leading European aparthotel operator, Staycity Group, has announced its first move into Northern Ireland where it will operate a 98 key property in the heart of Belfast City Centre.
Beaufort House, a 46,000sq ft, nine storey office located in the city centre on Belfast’s Wellington Place, will be repurposed to accommodate a mix of studio and one-bedroom apartments as well as a gym, reception, bar, restaurant and shop for guests to make use of in-room.
Northern Irish leading developer, Lotus Property, was granted a change of use planning permission to re-purpose the former HMRC office space into aparthotel accommodation in 2024. Now partnering with Staycity Group, the well-equipped apartments are being specifically designed for the comfort and convenience of visitors with fully fitted kitchens alongside space to dine, work and relax.
The location is ideally placed for both corporate and leisure markets, as Belfast enjoyed another strong hotel performance with a +7% RevPAR increase year to date September 2024 according to STR.
Paddy Brennan of McConnell Property acted for Lotus Property in securing Staycity as tenant.
The Dublin-headquartered Staycity Group, which operates the Staycity Aparthotels and Wilde brands, was established in 2004 by CEO Tom Walsh and his brother Ger. The fast-expanding company currently runs 6,000 aparthotel rooms in 36 aparthotels across 17 vibrant cities including Berlin, Birmingham, Bordeaux, Dresden, Dublin, Edinburgh, Frankfurt, Heidelberg, Leipzig, Liverpool, London, Lyon, Manchester, Marseille, Paris, Venice and York.
This investment marks the company’s first move into Belfast, a place Conde Nast Traveller recently dubbed ‘one of the coolest spots in Europe’.
Managing Director at Lotus Property, Alastair Coulson 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 Q3 2026 to the benefit of the city and its visitors.”
Staycity Group’s UK Development Director, Simon Walford, commented:
“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.”
Staycity Group’s Chief Development Officer, Andrew Fowler, added:
“This is a significant deal for us as it marks our entry into another European capital city while strengthening our partnership with The Lotus Group, a key development partner with whom we are pursuing multiple UK projects.”
Work has already commenced on The Well, with Belfast’s Staycity Aparthotels set to open for business in 2026.