Signature Living To Develop Two New Hotels In Belfast

Signature Living is to develop at least two new hotels in Belfast.

The hotel developer confirmed one will include a George Best themed hotel.

The announcement was made at the Waterfront Conference and Exhibition Centre as Belfast revealed it will take its largest ever trade delegation when it returns to MIPIM in Cannes next month, with a financial support of over £250,000 from private sector sponsors and stakeholders.

MIPIM, an annual global property investment conference that brings together the most influential players from all international property sectors, is at the centre of Belfast City Council's 'Go to Market' strategy.

Cllr Aileen Graham, Chair of the Council's City Growth and Regeneration Committee, said: "There is tremendous energy in Belfast and the city has already reinvented itself. Investors, developers and employers who are familiar with the city, and its people, recognise that we are on the cusp of another phase of transformation, and that now is the time to invest in Belfast.

"But there are many more potential investors and developers out there who are not familiar with the opportunities in our amazing city. That is why it is vital we do not sit at home in the vain hope that we might catch their eye – instead, we need to proactively go out to the world during the coming year. We are confident we will reap the benefits of this approach in the years ahead. "

Lawrence Kenwright, Director of Signature Living, said: "I was hugely impressed by what I saw of Belfast at MIPIM in 2016 – so much so, in fact, that I have visited the city seven times in the past 12 months to find out more.

"It is clear to me that Belfast is at an exciting stage in its development, with so much happening around the city. Most importantly, it is looking outward and forward and, as a result, I believe the city will really continue to flourish in the coming years.

"I am confident that Belfast is an excellent city in which to invest and, to that end, have committed to commencing development of two new city centre hotels in 2017 – one of which will have a strong George Best theme. All together we are looking to create five hotels in the city and are very close to agreeing terms for the acquisition of a landmark building in which we will develop the first.

"These hotels will not only boost Belfast's already thriving tourism sector, but will contribute significantly to the local economy through the creation of up to 500 jobs during and post-development."

Belfast City Council's chief executive Suzanne Wylie said: "Recent independent UK-wide reports by reputable organisations such as Deloitte and CBRE have shown that Belfast is on an upward trajectory and we need to build on this momentum.

"We are extremely ambitious and believe we can attract another £1 billion of real estate investment, including new offices, hotels and leisure, and retail developments.

"We have a real focus on growing tourism, financial technology, and creative and digital technologies – including cybersecurity. This will drive up demand. We are now the number one city in the world for US cyber FDI and have been the second fastest growing knowledge economy in the UK for three years in a row.

"The council is playing its part with our 20-year strategy – the Belfast Agenda – which aims to increase our population by 70,000 and create 50,000 jobs, as well as deliver a Local Development Plan that paves the way for these targets to be met.

"But we recognise that none of this can be achieved without a collaborative effort with the private sector, our city institutions and Invest NI. For that reason I am delighted at the level of support we have secured for our attendance at MIPIM next month and I believe we can build on the success of last year's event."

(CD/LM)