Ruby Hotels boss says Brexit will not deter him and reveals plans for second hotel

Michael Struck has said Brexit will not deter him from entering the UK market next year whatever happens in March 2019.

Speaking to The Caterer, the founder and chief executive of Ruby Hotels admitted that although he is "very concerned", the UK's exit from the European Union will not be deterring him from the market.

"The market is just too attractive not to be in," he said.

Struck also revealed plans for a second, 160-bedroom hotel set to open in London's Clerkenwell in 2021 in a mixed-use development.

As part of the German hotel group's expansion, Ruby is set to enter the UK with the opening of the 76-bedroom Ruby Lucy (pictured) near London's Waterloo Station next year, in partnership with property company Max Barney Estate. It will join eight existing Ruby properties in Austria and Germany.

Struck said London had always been a "prime target" for the brand: "London has been one of the cities that was on my mind when I created Ruby."

He added that the group is targeting three to four UK cities, naming Edinburgh as one, and as has been the group's approach in mainland Europe, they would look to open two to three hotels in each city, meaning a target of six to eight properties across the UK.

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