We call it premium as we don’t really use stars’ - Ireland’s first ‘voco’ hotel opens in Belfast

The former Radisson Blu in the Gasworks has now been badged as ‘voco’, which is owned by IHG Hotels and Resorts.

This is the first voco location on the island of Ireland.

Last year, the venue was acquired by Irish company Cliste Hospitality, which has invested £3.6m in refurbishing the property. It said the work has given it a stylish look and “exceptional” facilities with 120 premium guest bedrooms, a new ground-floor bar, Pomo restaurant, and outdoor terrace.

There’s also an event space with six rooms for meetings and small gatherings.

The Radisson Blu was snapped up by Cliste and its hotel operating arm iNua Collection after going on sale for £16m.

Cliste said it was scoping out other acquisitions in Northern Ireland.

As iNua Collection’s first hotel in Northern Ireland, it joins 13 venues on the island such as Kilkenny’s Hibernian, Dublin ONE, Tullamore Court in the Midlands and Radisson Blu in Limerick, Sligo, Athlone and Cork.

Voco is now offering rooms starting at £130. A launch event last week was attended by around 200 guests, including Tourism NI and the NI Hotels Federation.

Joanna Kurowska, managing director of UK and Ireland operations for IHG, said voco was its premium brand.

“Voco was designed by us in 2018 to respond to the growing need of conversion market, and this hotel is a perfect example of something that lends itself very well to spaces that need a conversion and that need new life breathed into them,” she said.

“That’s exactly what happened here. If you knew the hotel before — the colour scheme, the way it looked, the way it felt and the sense of arrival — that was so different than it is today.”

Ms Kurowska said the hotel will target the corporate and leisure markets, but won’t have a star rating.

“It’s perfect as it’s so close to the city centre,” she added.

“We call it premium as we don’t really use stars. They’re just one way of describing the market, but we segment the market by using the terms standard, premium and luxury.

"Premium means it’s in the middle between the luxury space and the standard space. It’s all about the experience and quality of service.”

The tourism industry in Northern Ireland had been nervously anticipating the impact of the additional visa requirement from the UK Home Office, known as the Electronic Travel Authorisation. But with a Labour government, it’s hoped that concept will be dropped.

Ms Kurowska said: “What we’ve seen between the Republic and UK is that the trend of this market is immense, and people will always travel across the border for natural reasons and for obvious reasons.

“There are so many historical, economic, family links and nothing’s going to break that.”

Mairea Doyle Balfe, executive director of corporate development for Cliste Hospitality, said the company saw great potential in Belfast.

“Belfast is a very young city, we can see there’s lots of development so it presented a great opportunity for us,” she said.

“We’re continuing to look at properties across Northern Ireland.

“We would certainly like to get another two or three in the next couple of years.

“It has beautiful countryside, you’ve got the coast, you’ve got the Sperrin Mountains and Mourne Mountains and we see that there are opportunities.

“We look forward to becoming a significant part of the community in the city and we will continue to look for further opportunities to expand our presence in Northern Ireland.”

IHG Hotels & Resorts is one of the world’s biggest hotel companies with more than 6,000 international locations.

Other brands in the group, such as Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express and Crowne Plaza, already have a presence in Belfast through partnerships with Andras House.

The interior design of voco Belfast was carried out by O’Donnell O’Neill Design to achieve what the hotel described as “a property that feels upscale, but with a laid-back spirit — somewhere reliable, but different”.

The fit-out was carried out by Pure Fitout.

The decor features pops of colour and pattern, creative lighting, textured tiling and some quirky but comfortable furniture.

The bedrooms have tech-friendly features like smart TVs and fast wi-fi.

Danielle McGinley, director of sales and marketing at voco Belfast, said: “It’s an exciting time to open such a stylish new offering in a city that really appreciates style.

“It has been a pleasure to work together with our partners to ensure that voco Belfast stands out as a distinctive destination for guests to enjoy.”