Park Plaza teams up with Wren's and Fitzwilliam

Park Plaza Hotels Europe is expanding into Ireland and Croatia with two new franchise deals.

The group has signed agreements with Wren's Hotel Group, which has hotels in the UK, the Seychelles and Croatia, and with Irish company the Fitzwilliam Hotel Group.

Wren's Hotel Group's 121-bedroom Grand Hotel Bonavia in Rijeka will be rebranded as a Park Plaza hotel by the end of 2004, and will be the first of a series of franchised hotels across Croatia.

In Ireland the Fitzwilliam Hotel Group has signed agreements to rebrand two of its properties as Park Plaza, also by the end of this year. The Fitzwilliam International hotel in Belfast and the Royal Dublin in Dublin will add a total of 300 bedrooms to Park Plaza Hotels Europe's portfolio.

Michael Holland, chief executive of Fitzwilliam Hotel Group, said: "I am delighted to have reached this agreement with Park Plaza Hotels Europe, allowing us the right to expand its current four-star Park Plaza Hotels & Resorts portfolio into Ireland."

He added: "These two hotels represent the beginning of what we hope will be a 10-strong group of Park Plaza Hotels & Resorts in Ireland within five years."

Boris Ivesha, president of Park Plaza Hotels Europe, said the group had generated "positive interest" in its franchise offering since the launch of its first franchise hotel in Germany last year, and that the group would continue to expand its portfolio across Europe, the Middle East and Africa through both franchise and management agreements.

By the end of 2004 Park Plaza Hotels Europe will have total bedroom stock of 3,500.