Surinder Arora of the Arora Hotels might be awarded a contract for a 400-bedroom hotel at Terminal 2 of the Dublin Airport by the airport authority DAA, even though it appears he is the only bidder of the tender.
It is understood that the airport body has entered exclusive talks with UK group Arora Hotels for the project despite the lack of a competitive process. According to The Times, DAA had received legal advice it could proceed unilaterally with Arora after the only other shortlisted party, the Irish group Tifco, dropped out.
Businessman Surinder Arora has hotels at Heathrow and Gatwick airports near London, and has also proposed the expansion of terminal 3 of Heathrow Airport at half the cost of Heathrow Airports Limited at £14.4 bn.
A number of parties that were ruled out of the airport hotel contract at an early stage believe the process should be rerun because of the lack of competition. It is understood Dalata, a quoted group running 39 hotels, was eliminated as it did not intend to use an international brand at Terminal 2. Other groups, such as billionaire John Malone's MHL Hotel Collection, was ruled out because they had not developed any properties themselves but have spent £420m in buying 11 hotels since 2013.
DAA has said it aims to have a preferred bidder for the hotel by the end of this year. The existing planning approval for an 11-storey hotel linked to Terminal 2 is due to expire in March 2019, however, meaning the winning group would have to submit new plans.
Arora has opened a 304-bedroom Crowne Plaza and a 457-bed Holiday Inn Express at Heathrow’s Terminal 4 in October. It also has Sofitel and Renaissance at Heathrow, and Sofitel and Hilton hotels at Gatwick Airport.
Arora accquires Buckinghamshire Golf Club
Surinder Arora, had also announced a move into the sporting sector with his acquisition of the Buckinghamshire Golf Club in Denham for an undisclosed sum. He said how he is looking to use luxury hospitality experience “to reinvigorate the club, providing a new and enhanced experience for its members”.
The club was sold in February last year to Buckingham Park Resort (Holdings), a subsidiary of Eagle resorts, and was previously owned by Japanese brewery Asahi Group Holdings for nearly 25 years.
In addition to offering golf on an 18-hole championship course designed by the late Ryder Cup player John Jacobs, the resort also caters for events and weddings within its Grade II-listed clubhouse and mansion house.
