Jury's out on possibility of hotel group name change

One More Thing:With the race for Jurys Inn in the final furlong, speculation is mounting around town that the owners of Jurys Doyle group might be considering a name change for the four and five-star hotels that will remain in its stable.

The sale looks set to net Jurys Doyle about €1.2 billion and includes the Jurys Inn brand.

This throws up the prospect of two Jurys brands operating in the market under different owners. It's a situation that could be confusing for people looking to book rooms in Dublin, Cork or London, where both brands are in operation.

The obvious solution might be for Bernie Gallagher, a daughter of legendary hotelier PV Doyle, and her fellow investors to drop the Jurys brand.

What odds then on the Doyle brand might make a return to the market eight years after its takeover by Jurys?

Rebranding the full-service hotels might not be as drastic a move as it sounds, especially when Seán Dunne takes the keys for Jurys Ballsbridge in August.

How often do you hear somebody refer to the five-star Westbury as Jurys Westbury?

Dropping the Jurys name at its properties in London and the US shouldn't be a problem.

That just leaves the four-star hotels at Croke Park and in Cork, both of which are relatively new.

Much might depend on the outcome of what is now a three-horse race.

Quinlan Private, which is headed by former tax inspector Derek Quinlan, is carrying the favourite's tag. Quinlan recently bought 47 Marriott hotels for £1.1 billion (€1.62 billion) and might have no need for the Jurys brand.

Similarly, Whitbread owns Premier Travel Inns, a budget brand, and might decide to rebrand the Jurys Inns if it wins the race.

Lydian Capital is the unknown quantity. Backed by Denis Brosnan, John Magnier and JP McManus, the investment group has potentially limitless resources. The racing millionaires might well want to retain the Jurys Inns brand for the 20 hotels in the chain.

The ground work has been carefully prepared by Bernie and her husband John Gallagher. Separate companies have been established to house the Jurys Inns properties in Ireland and the UK.

This makes it more tax-efficient for purchasers, who are buying a company rather than assets and therefore avoid having to pay stamp duty.

A result is expected early next week. The smart money is on Quinlan winning it by a short head, but don't rule out Whitbread.

The UK company recently agreed the sale of its David Lloyd leisure chain for £925 million having already offloaded Pizza Hut and TGI Friday's. It must be itching to buy something.