Northern Ireland: Aparthotel operator Staycity will expand into Northern Ireland having signed a lease agreement with owner Lotus Property to operate a £20 million project in Belfast City Centre.
Beaufort House, a 46,000-square-foot, nine-storey office located on Belfast’s Wellington Place, will be repurposed to offer 98 keys across a mix of studio and one-bedroom apartments along with a gym, bar and restaurant, and a shop.
Sonder was originally set to operate the site however pulled out of the project in 2024 and partnered with Z Property Group on another serviced apartment development in Belfast.
Paddy Brennan of McConnell Property acted for Lotus Property in securing Staycity as tenant.
Alastair Coulson, managing director at Lotus Property said: “Between the completion of Belfast Grand Central Station bringing more commuters than ever before into the city and major tourism events, concerts and attractions, Belfast city centre is thriving and poses a huge opportunity for short-term accommodation offerings to be successful.
“We are delighted to partner with such a well-known operator in Staycity Group. This is another in a series of good news stories for Belfast and is also an exciting time for Lotus Property, with ‘living’ a huge part of our future growth plans as a business. We are looking forward to completion in Q3 2026 to the benefit of the city and its visitors,” he added.
Staycity’s UK development director, Simon Walford, said: “We are thrilled to announce the acquisition of this prime site in the heart of Belfast. The property will operate under our popular Staycity Aparthotels brand, featuring 98 studio and one-bedroom apartments that combine the convenience of hotel services with the flexibility of apartment living.”
Andrew Fowler, CDO of Staycity, added: “This is a significant deal for us as it marks our entry into another European capital city while strengthening our partnership with The Lotus Group, a key development partner with whom we are pursuing multiple UK projects.”
