AccorHotels adds 5 Yorkshire hotels to portfolio

In the north of England, Yorkshire's appeal is on the rise, with Paris-based AccorHotels adding five upcoming properties in the region to its portfolio.

The MGallery York, Mercure Leeds Centre, Mercure Kenwood Hall and Mercure Tankersley Manor are set to undergo extensive renovations before they open. The Ibis Budget Sheffield, meanwhile, is a new-build property. The properties have a combined 443 rooms.

All the hotels are set to open by 2020. 

"Signing five new hotels in Yorkshire is a great move for AccorHotels," said Philip Lassman, vice president of development at AccorHotels UK and Ireland. "It is a thriving region and we are happy to bolster our presence here."

According to AccorHotels analysis of ONS data, there were about 1.27 million visits to Yorkshire from overseas in 2017, with visitors collectively spending 10.6 million nights in the region, driving revenues of £530 million.

Other companies have show interest in Yorkshire over the last year. The announcement came just after British bank OakNorth loaned £2.8 million to Helmsley Hospitality partners Simon Rhatigan and Simon Kershaw to launch a new boutique hotel brand, Bike and Boot, starting with the acquisition and conversion of an existing hotel in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England. 

In May, Hilton signed a franchise agreement with real estate investment company Aprirose to add five new hotels to its UK portfolio, including the DoubleTree by Hilton Forest Pines Hotel & Golf Resort.

As of October, East Yorkshire’s port city, Hull, had just 35 new rooms in the pipeline.