Ireland's Prem Group to open boutique hotel in Sheffield

The Prem Group has been unveiled as the operator of Sheffield's newest boutique hotel, on Leopold Street.

The Dublin-based operator, which runs 28 hotels in Ireland, bought the 50,000sq ft property for a sum in the region of £10m and plans to open it as the Leopold hotel in October 2006.

The site, a Grade I-listed former boy's school, will be turned into a four-star, 92-bedroom venue as part of the redevelopment of Leopold Square in the centre of Sheffield.

Prem Group financial director Stephen Loftus said: "This is our first boutique project in the UK. By the end of the year we plan to open a further six hotels in Britain, including a four-star site in the North of England."

by Tom Bill

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