Belfast Newsletter - Well well well. There is a whole different side to Belfast that I suggest many people have been totally unaware of - to their loss. So you are familiar with city centre shopping, Belfast City Hall, The Cathedral Quarter, the Ulster Museum and Botanic Gardens, the Golden Mile, the Victoria Square and environs, Lisburn Road and the Troubles Tours in the west of the city?
But what about the Titanic Quarter as a weekend leisure designation?
Never thought of it? Me Neither.
But that all changed with a stay in the delightful Titanic Hotel.
One of Ireland’s largest privately held companies, Harcourt Developments, has unveiled the results of the first phase of a €20 million investment in its hotel portfolio - The Harcourt Collection, at County Donegal’s five-star Lough Eske Castle.
The new additions are named “The Donegal Suites” and showcase furnishings, artworks and amenities sourced and created by local craftspeople and businesses. Overseen by Harcourt Developments Creative Director, John Doherty, interior features include working with world famous local tweed weavers Magee 1866.
A short film about the amazing artist Angela Conner FRBS who created a series of large kinetic sculptures for Park West Business Park in Dublin including the 40m (129ft) high, 20-tonne 'Wave' - the tallest kinetic sculpture in Europe, which is powered only by the wind. Our chairman Pat Doherty was delighted to be interviewed by the filmmakers Laura Warner and Dreweatts 1759.
Hollywood, Los Angeles - the team at Titanic Belfast were delighted to accept a THEA Award for Outstanding Achievement – Visitor Experience Re-envisioned at the ‘Oscars’ of visitor attractions.
The THEA Awards, organised by the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA), recognise achievement, talent and personal excellence from those who bring incredible experiences to life for people around the world. This is the first time an attraction has won twice in its 30-year history.
Belfast City Council - He sums up its work as bringing “step changes” to Northern Ireland, such as the emergence of a new film and TV industry in the 2000s after Harland & Wolff’s old Paint Hall was transformed into Titanic Studios.
It's among the milestones for Titanic Quarter witnessed by James Eyre since he joined Titanic Quarter Ltd, the company behind the massive seafront development, as a surveyor in 2006.
James, who studied estate management at UIster University, was last week named its new chief executive – the first at the company since a restructuring in 2015.
Irish Times - The success of the Park West scheme continues with four lettings amounting to a total of 34,634sq ft agreed so far this year. While one deal saw the increase of existing tenant Sysnet’s footprint within Block 71 from 10,700sq ft to 15,000sq ft, the other transactions saw the arrival of three new companies to the west Dublin business park. In the first instance, medical services giant Affidea made the decision to relocate its Irish head office to Park West, taking 4,500sq ft in Block 71
Estates Gazette - The online retail giant has occupied a 40,000 sq ft unit in Channel Commercial Park at the Belfast Harbour site since late 2018.
However, Titanic Quarter, which is controlled by Dublin-based Harcourt Development, has secured planning to demolish this site to make way for a new, larger facility.
The online retail giant will lease a circa 80,000 sq ft warehouse facility as well as a three-tiered van storage centre accommodating 479 spaces.
Las Vegas Review Journal - Life Time Fitness purchased nearly 15 acres of land at Durango Drive and Sunset Road from Ireland-based Harcourt Developments in November.
Harcourt had partnered with a Las Vegas firm in 2006 to build Sullivan Square, one of numerous high-rise proposals from Las Vegas’ bubble days that never materialized.
Irish Times - Game of Thrones put Northern Ireland on the global TV map. Now a Belfast studio is making a Superman prequel series, and, for local producers, the sky’s the limit….
Based in the Titanic Quarter, which has been developed by Dublin-based Harcourt Developments, Titanic Studios is one of the largest film studios in Europe.
A Game of Thrones prequel is currently shooting at a number of locations across the North, including Titanic Studios.
Belfast Telegraph - A London-based hospitality concern has announced plans to build a hotel next to Titanic Belfast.
JMK Group is proposing a 280-bedroom 'family-friendly' hotel for the tourist hotspot, which would make it one of the biggest in the city.
Expected to be open at Hamilton Dock by the summer of 2021, the company said it wants to capitalise on the family-focused attractions in the Titanic Quarter by dedicating 100 rooms to families.
The Irish News - one of Belfast's most prominent office buildings, the Gateway Offices at Titanic Quarter, has been sold to sitting tenants Citi in a deal understood to be worth in the region of £35 million
The building comprises three accommodation blocks, central feature courtyard and underground car parking, and has been let to Citi since the building was completed in 2009.
James Eyre, commercial director at Titanic Quarter, said: "This sale is good news for Belfast. Having a high-quality occupier and employer such as Citi acquire its principal building, demonstrates its long-term commitment to Titanic Quarter and Belfast.”
Irish Times - A prime commercial development site in the heart of Belfast’s Titanic Quarter, next to the award-winning visitor attraction, Titanic Belfast, has gone on the market.
The latest site for sale – Plater’s Yard – occupies a waterfront location, and is positioned within an area that has already received outline planning permission and full planning permission for two hotels, 152 apartments, 12 commercial units and a 382-space underground car park.
The Irish News - A MULTI-million pound construction contract in Belfast's Titanic Quarter has gone out to tender.
Expressions of interest are now being sought from building contractors for the construction of Olympic House, a 150,000 sq ft Grade A office development on Queen's Road.
A joint venture between Belfast Harbour Commissioners and the owners of Titanic Quarter, construction on Olympic House is due to start in the the spring and take around 18 months to complete.
Irish Independent - The five-star Lough Eske Castle hotel in Co Donegal last year recorded profits of €1.54m.
The luxury hotel, which is part of Pat Doherty's Harcourt Developments, enjoyed the profits after revenues increased to €8.56m for the year.
Harcourt Developments finance director Nick Doherty said: "2016 was a strong year for Lough Eske where overall revenues grew by 6pc. "Overall, in terms of geographical market share, we witnessed strong growth both from the Irish and US markets, which more than offset a slight decline in the UK market."
Irish Independent - The hotel arm of Pat Doherty's Harcourt Developments group last year recorded revenues of €60m and said that its experience of Brexit to date has been positive.
The Harcourt Collection comprises seven hotels and resorts spread across Ireland, the UK and the Caribbean along with Titanic Belfast and a spokesman said yesterday that it is "very pleased with the performance of the hotels".
Irish Times - Globoforce, an Irish software firm that operates employee reward and incentive schemes for many of the world’s leading companies, is planning to move to a larger headquarters building in Park West beside the M50 in west Dublin.
The company has been based in a 929sq m (10,000sq ft) block in the park since 2006, but is now relocating to another building almost five times that size.
Belfast Telegraph - It's fast becoming one of the most exciting, attractive and economically powerful parts of Belfast. But when Titanic Quarter was launched a decade ago, few would have believed it had the potential to transform a neglected and desolate part of the city.
Belfast Live - It has become one of Northern Ireland’s most iconic landmarks - and now plans have been revealed for hundreds of millions of pounds worth of further redevelopment at Titanic Quarter.
Launched 10 years ago - with almost £360million of investment sailing in during the past decade - Titanic Quarter has breathed new life into what was a forgotten but essential part of Belfast’s history.
Donegal News - The International property company owned by Buncrana born developer Pat Doherty has just agreed a deal to sell its five-star hotel overlooking Chelsea Harbour in London for €77.6 million.
Harcourt Developments closed the deal to sell the Wyndham Grand Hotel to Millennium and Copthorne Hotels, a British based hotel operator.
The luxury hotel which comprises 158 suites, a spa and a restaurant overlooking Chelsea marina was put on the market as the capital’s only five-star luxury all-suite hotel.
BBC News - The number of visitors to Titanic Belfast has exceeded all expectations, according to Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness. The first and deputy first ministers were at the attraction to mark its first anniversary.
According to figures compiled by Stormont, more than 800,000 people from 128 countries visited Titanic Belfast in its first year. It had been predicted it would need 290,000 visitors a year to break even.
Belfast Telegraph - There could be no stronger endorsement of the £5bn Titanic Quarter development in Belfast than that delivered yesterday by University of Ulster chief economist Mike Smyth when he said “it is the future of Belfast”.
Yesterday banking giant Citibank unveiled its new offices at the development which has transformed the city’s waterfront area. Titanic Quarter can already claim Belfast Metropolitan College, Audi and the Northern Ireland Science Park, and many more businesses are expected to follow despite the tough economic times.
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