Hotel firm Dalata eyes Brussels, Berlin and Vienna in drive for growth
The company delivered record revenue of €608m for 2023
Hotel operator Dalata would like to secure additional properties in Amsterdam and continues to eye cities including Berlin, Vienna, Cologne and Brussels for potential sites, according to chief executive Dermot Crowley.
He also said that lifting the passenger cap at Dublin Airport is crucial for the country.
The stock market-listed company, whose hotels trade under the Clayton and Maldron brands, reported a strong set of results for 2023 as it benefited from increased activity and higher room rates.
The group’s revenue was 18pc higher at €607.7m – a record for the company – while it generated €223.1m in adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda). That was 22pc higher than in 2022.
Dalata is Ireland’s biggest hotel operator. Mr Crowley said that while it had seen some softness in January and February this year, the outlook for 2024 is strong. He attributed some of the softness so far in 2024 to some hotels that had been used to house refugees reverting to commercial use.
Like-for-like revenue per available room (RevPar) at Dalata was down 11pc, and down 4pc across the group. Group RevPar in 2023 was up 11pc at €117.
“The events schedule is very strong in Dublin for 2024,” said Mr Crowley.
“There are six concerts at Croke Park versus none last year, and five at the Aviva and it had none last year. There’s also the Europa League final and the autumn rugby internationals.”
He said that St Patrick’s Day weekend also saw strong bookings, with the festival also coinciding with Ireland’s last match in the Six Nations rugby championship, against Scotland, at the Aviva Stadium.
Mr Crowley said the removal of the passenger cap at Dublin Airport is essential. The airport is limited to handling 32 million passengers a year under a planning condition attached to Terminal 2.
“It’s a critical piece of our national infrastructure,” he said.
“It’s not just Dublin. It’s the main gateway, not just for leisure traffic, but also for business visitors to Ireland.
“The flight schedule this year is quite strong, but restricting growth will definitely impact tourism.
“Our tourism sector is the second-largest indigenous industry and the biggest regional employer outside of Dublin.
“This isn’t a just a Dublin issue. It’s really important for regional employment.”
Dalata has continued its expansion in the UK, where it is concentrating on growth in 11 cities. It wants to add 5,000 rooms in regional UK “over time” to bring its portfolio there to 9,500 rooms. London remains an expansion target.
Reporting On:independent.ie