Dakota Hotels plans rapid UK expansion

Dakota Hotels has announced plans for a rapid UK expansion across the next few years.

The group, which currently operates across Scotland and northern England, has recently completed its fifth property in Manchester.

The £30m project has seen the development of a 137-bedroom hotel, including 20 luxury suites as well the Dakota Grill restaurant, champagne bar, and cigar terrace.

It is now looking to acquire sites in priority locations including Birmingham, Brighton, Bristol, Cambridge, Cardiff, Edinburgh, the M4-corridor, Manchester Airport, Newcastle, Oxford and Central London.

Andrew Ovenstone, group operations director, said: "These are exciting times for Dakota and we look forward to expanding our hotel portfolio across the UK and beyond, bringing luxury lifestyle experiences to destinations that matter most. Our guests are well-travelled and they appreciate and expect the sophisticated, international standard of hospitality that the Dakota brand delivers."

Dakota Hotels is a partnership between former Hotelier of the Year Ken McCulloch and the Leeds-based Evans Property Group.

Ken McCulloch was named Hotelier of the Year in 1993 for his creation of One Devonshire Gardens in Glasgow. The following year he launched the Malmaison brand, which he went on to sell 10 years later.

Dakota Deluxe Manchester to open in 2019>>