Armagh City Hotel on market for £9m

The Armagh City Hotel has gone on the market with its owners seeking offers in excess of £9 million.

The 101-bedroom venue on Friary Road includes a leisure centre and conference rooms, with CBRE Ireland set to sell the asset.

Opened in early 2002, the Armagh City Hotel was originally developed by Felix Mooney, Kieran McAnallen, Brian McCormack and the late Bertie Fisher.

The venue and its 1,200-seater conference facilities quickly became a major hub for events in the city, hosting everything from galas and awards nights to weddings and party political conferences.

It is also a major hospitality employer in Armagh City, with a workforce of around 175 people.

However the hotel has experienced a challenging period since the Covid-19 pandemic.

It lost its four star rating in the past number of years and last year suffered a pre-tax loss of £185,000.

The latest accounts for Armagh City Hotel Limited show it enjoyed a 6% uplift in revenue to £5.9 million for the year ending July 31 2023.

But the directors said rising costs and the “continued contraction of margins on food and beverage sales” hit the profits of their hospitality business.

It’s the latest well-known Ulster hotel to be placed in the market in recent times.

Roe Park hotel and golf resort in Co Derry went on the market last month for £14m, while the Slieve Russell in Co Cavan went up for sale in April with a £30m price tag.