International expansion is on the cards for Redefine BDL Hotels

13 February 2015 by
International expansion is on the cards for Redefine BDL Hotels

Redefine BDL Hotels (RBH), which describes itself as the UK's largest independent hotel management company, is considering international expansion following a bumper 2014 in which it boosted its portfolio to more than 70 hotels.

Key achievements of last year included the securing of a management deal with LRG for 19 Holiday Inn and three Crowne Plaza properties, a 16% rise in revenue per available room (revpar) across its regional properties and a 20% increase in revenue during the Christmas period.

Stewart Campbell, managing director of RBH, said the scene was now set for a buoyant 2015, in which it will further expand its business of branded and independent hotels, which currently achieves an annual turnover of £400m.

Campbell said that the company, which currently operates three hotels overseas in South Africa, Nigeria and Liberia, was also considering entering the US market.

"Six months ago, plotted against similar companies in the US, Redefine BDL Hotels would have ranked around 40th in terms of portfolio size - but with our recent expansion we have jumped to around 10th. This opens up massive possibilities and, while very much in its infancy, a move to the US is being considered."

As well as being an established partner of InterContinental Hotels Group through its management of Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express hotels, and Hilton Worldwide with the management of Doubletree by Hilton properties, RBH has recently announced agreements with Accor and Marriott International.

It is set to manage Accor's new Ibis Styles hotel in Glasgow, which will open in August 2015, and has signed a deal to operate the new Courtyard by Marriott, which will launch in Edinburgh during 2016.

Campbell predicts that the upward trend in business will continue in 2015, with revpar growing in the regions by 6% and in London by 3%, with a noticeable growth in the global travel market.

"In London and Edinburgh in particular, despite supply increasing with more properties being built and launched, demand has maintained. New hotels are not displacing existing ones; they are simply meeting the increasing global travel demand, which is encouraging.

"The conference market is also coming back stronger than expected. We would have estimated that it would take another two to three years for this area to pick up, but we are definitely seeing strong improvement now."

The portfolio of 70 RBH hotels comprises more than 11,700 rooms and 4,500 staff across the UK.

Redefine BDL Hotels boosts portfolio by 22 properties >>

Redefine Hotels and BDL Management merge >>

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