Belfast hotel links up with major global chain
A SOUTH Belfast hotel has become the first on the island of Ireland to join a chain described as the third-largest in the world.
The 19-bedroom Parador Lodge on the Ormeau Road is now an OYO hotel, joining a group of 23,000 OYO-branded venues around the globe.
The group, which has 850,000 rooms across over 800 cities on its books, was founded six years ago in India by entrepreneur Ritesh Agarwal.
Parador Lodge had been part of the Botanic Inns family of venues before it was bought over by entrepreneur Paul Blaney six years ago.
Mr Blaney said: “OYO is a fast-growing business and it’s very exciting that the Parador Lodge is the first accommodation provider in the whole of Ireland to place their name above our door.
“Our guests will continue to enjoy the same warm and friendly welcome along with our excellent service from our team, led by our manager Peter.
“Becoming part of OYO is helping us run the business more efficiently while boosting our visibility to potential new visitors from around the world.”
Jeremy Sanders, head of OYO UK, said: “We’re delighted to be working with OYO Parador Lodge, which is clearly muchloved by guests. This marks our entry into Ireland and we’re looking forward to expanding our presence further.”
OYO now has around 100 hotels in 25 UK cities and towns, including London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Blackpool and Torquay.
The business entered the UK less than a year ago but has more than tripled its portfolio in the last three months.
OYO says its brand is aimed at helping small and mid-sized independent hotels to improve their performance through using its technology, revenue management capabilities and operational expertise. Hotels in its portfolio have an average of 25 rooms.