Dalata buys Clarion Hotel for €35m

Cork’s Clarion Hotel has been acquired by the Dalata Hotel Group for €35.1m in a cash deal expected to be concluded before the end of this month.

Dalata, the largest hotel operator in the country through its ownership of the Maldron and Clayton brands, had been linked with the high-profile hotel, which was placed on the market with a €30m price tag in July.

The amount being spent is a record for the Cork hotel market. At the publication of Dalata’s half-year financial results last month, group chief executive Pat McCann said that, as part of the company’s expansion plans, all hotel acquisition opportunities in Ireland’s main urban areas would be considered, including the four-star, 191-room Clarion.