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US hotel chain Marriott has launched its first hotel in the North – a £26 million (€30 million) property in Belfast. The AC Hotel is the second new hotel to open in the city this week.
The four-star hotel also features the first restaurant operated by the multi-Michelin-starred celebrity chef, Jean-Christophe Novelli in Ireland.
With 188 rooms, the AC Hotel at City Quays on Belfast’s waterfront will challenge the £53 million Grand Central hotel which opened in the city centre a few days ago.
The Grand Central has been developed by the Northern Ireland-headquartered Hastings Group, which holds a 50 per cent stake in the five-star Merrion Hotel in Dublin.
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Mariott’s first Northern Ireland property is the latest phase of an £80 million investment programme by Belfast Harbour in the City Quays district where it is developing offices, cafes, restaurants and new waterside walkways.
Dr David Dobbin, chairman of Belfast Harbour, said the official opening of the AC Hotel Belfast “marks the fruition of a core strand” of its strategic vision for the quay’s future.
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