Jurys has its sights onmore sites

JURYS Hotel Group is looking for further greenfield sites in the UK to expand its portfolio outside the Republic of Ireland.

The Dublin-based group, which opened its second Jurys Inn branded hotel in the UK last week in Edinburgh, is also looking at existing properties in city locations.

Work has already begun on its £15.6m hotel in Manchester, another Jurys Inn, which should be completed by May 1999.

Reporting pre-tax profit up 41% to IR£19.5m (£23.2m) for the year ended 30 April 1998, managing director Peter Malone said that trading figures for Jurys London Inn in Islington, which opened in April, were "so far very encouraging".

"The economic fundamentals for trade and tourism in both Ireland and the UK remain positive. We are looking forward to the year ahead with confidence," he added.

Occupancy for the group was static at 78%. Both room yield and average room rate rose by 7.5%, but detailed figures were undisclosed.