A hotel operator has been selected as the preferred tenant for the Marischal Square hotel development.

Aberdeen Council, along with support from the Marischal Square Working Group, have named the Marriott Residence Inn as the operator for the four-star hotel. It will be operated under the franchise by Cycas Hospitality.

Marriott Residence Inn was the first extended-stay brand in the US and the Aberdeen property will be one of the first in the UK. The new Edinburgh hotel is the second Residence Inn in Europe, following the opening of the Munich hotel in 2012.

Deputy Council Leader and Chair of the Marischal Square Working Group, Councillor Marie Boulton, said: "We gave officers and partners Muse a clear remit to identify a four-star hotel operator which would satisfy the working group's desire to see a high-quality hotel in Marischal Square.


"Marriott is a very well known hotel chain, renowned for providing a high level service. Although the Residence Inn brand is not yet well known in Europe, it has a high reputation in the United States, Canada and Mexico, where there are more than 600 Residence Inn hotels.

"This will be one of the first Residence Inns in the UK and the company's clear desire to place its brand in such a prominent development reflects the level of high interest that major firms are showing in doing business in Aberdeen."

Muse Developments, which is behind the Marischal Square project, said the new hotel would play a key role in the economy of Aberdeen.

Regional Director Steve Turner explained: "The Residence Inn will bring more customers into the area, as well as adding to the viability of the offices, bars, and restaurants which will occupy the commercial element of the completed Marischal Square development."

The completed scheme will provide around 175,000 square feet of office space and about 25,000 square feet of retail and commercial space, as well as the four-star hotel.

(JP/CD)