Belfast’s five-star Fitzwilliam Hotel hits the market with €37m price tag

Having paid about €23 million through one of his companies to secure ownership of Belfast’s Fitzwilliam Hotel in 2015, hotelier and businessman Michael Holland has instructed agent CBRE to find a buyer for the five-star property. The hotel, which began trading in 2009, is being offered to the market on a freehold basis at a guide price of £32 million (€37.4 million).A part of the Fitzwilliam Hospitality Group which also includes The Fitzwilliam Hotel in Dublin and well-known restaurants and bars such as Glovers Alley, Floritz, Cellar 22 and the Bailey, Belfast’s Fitzwilliam Hotel comprises 146 bedrooms and suites. It also includes a spacious two-bedroom private suite and a luxury penthouse suite, each of which extend to over 121sq m (1,300sq ft), along with an award-winning bar and restaurant. The hotel occupies a prime location fronting on to Great Victoria Street and sits adjacent to the recently opened Belfast Grand Central Station. Named AA Hotel of the Year for Northern Ireland in 2019-2020, the Fitzwilliam is a member of Preferred Hotels & Resorts. The hotel is owner-operated and unencumbered by management – providing incoming purchasers with the full flexibility to either retain the operation under the Fitzwilliam name, subject to licence, or to rebrand the hotel. The current owners secured planning permission in June for the addition of 52 large bedrooms and suites, a conference centre, gym and a luxury spa with swimming pool and eight treatment rooms. READ MOREAccording to the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency’s annual tourism statistics for 2025, Belfast is one of the UK and Ireland’s fastest-growing visitor destinations, with Northern Ireland attracting around 5.1 million overnight visitors and £1.2 billion in overnight spend in 2025, up 9 per cent year-on-year. Unsurprisingly, Belfast captures much of this visitor traffic and expenditure. Paul Collins of CBRE’s hotels division says: “Belfast’s hospitality market has strengthened considerably over recent years, supported by rising visitor numbers and greater corporate activity. The Fitzwilliam is well placed to benefit from this positive momentum and its consented expansion plans give a new owner a clear path to add scale in a supply-constrained market. “We expect strong interest from investor groups, particularly given the quality of the hotel and being unencumbered.”Fitzwilliam Hospitality Group CEO Fergal O’Connell added: “Having been involved with The Fitzwilliam Hotel Belfast since its opening in 2009, we are incredibly proud of what has been achieved over the past 17 years. The hotel has established itself as one of Belfast’s leading luxury hospitality destinations and, with planning permission now secured for a significant expansion, we believe this is the right time for a new owner to build on that success and take the hotel into its next phase of growth. “We remain fully committed to our wider hospitality interests, including The Fitzwilliam Hotel Dublin, where we have recently completed a substantial refurbishment programme and obtained planning permission to extend the hotel, and are excited about the opportunities ahead.”