THE US owner of the Slieve Donard Hotel has bought a third hotel in the north, it can be revealed.
Nashville-based Adventurous Journeys (AJ) Capital Partners, which operates hotels under its Marine & Lawn golf portfolio, has acquired the Portrush Atlantic Hotel from Derry brothers Larry and Brendan Duddy Junior.
The three-star hotel, which has 69 bedrooms, is located next door to the Adelphi, which was acquired by AJ Capital two years ago.
The Main Street hotel has been closed since May 2024 to facilitate a major refurbishment.
The revamped 34 bed boutique venue is set to reopen in early 2025 ahead of the return of The Open Championship to Royal Portrush in July.
It’s unclear if the Nashville property group is planning to merge the neighbouring buildings into a single large hotel in Portrush.
The US company was contacted for comment.
AJ Capital Partners first entered the Irish market in 2021, paying £40 million to the Hastings family for the Slieve Donard Hotel in Newcastle.
The group, which also has four sites in Scotland, added the four star Adelphi Portrush Hotel in late 2022.
But keen to add more rooms on the north coast, AJ Capital completed a deal to buy the Portrush Atlantic last month.
According to Companies House, Pruk Owner Limited, which is registered at the Slieve Donard Hotel, took control of The Northern Portrush Hotel Ltd on November 22.
Pruk Owner Ltd is controlled by Ben Weprin, the founder and chief executive of AJ Capital Partners.
The value of the deal has not yet been disclosed.
Larry and Brendan Duddy Junior were among the group of investors who bought the former Ramada Hotel for £2.75 million in 2015.
The venue, which had been owned by the Kennedy family, was placed into administration by the Republic’s National Asset Management Agency (Nama) in 2013.
It later fell under the control of Cerberus, after it acquired Nama’s northern loan book.
The Duddy’s, who also own the Holiday Inn Express in Derry city and shares in the City Hotel, assumed full control of the Portrush Atlantic in September 2023.
As part of the Marine & Lawn portfolio, it’s now expected to undergo a major refurbishment programme.
It represents the latest signficant hotel investment on the north coast ahead of the return of The Open next July.
The US-owned Links Collection is preparing to open Dunluce Lodge next to Royal Portrush within weeks.
The 35 luxury suites in the £16.5m resort are due to welcome the first guests in February.
Meanwhile, Belfast hotel group Andras House is also preparing to open the 83-bedroom Marcus Hotel in Main Street next year.
It’s set to become the first hotel in Hilton’s Tapestry Collection on the island of Ireland.
The Galgorm Collection has also spent £28m acquiring the Roe Park Resort in Limavady and Galgorm Castle Estate in Ballymena, which both feature golf courses.
