YOTEL Belfast

YOTEL has announced a £17 million, 165-room new-build hotel for Belfast's Shaftesbury Square, its first in Ireland, developed with Andras Hotels and targeted for late 2026 — though a Northern Ireland Water objection over sewer capacity has put the timeline in question.

The place

The planned hotel will be a new-build property at Shaftesbury Square, on the edge of Belfast's Botanic/Queen's Quarter, a short walk from Queen's University and the Botanic Gardens.

The concept

YOTEL Belfast is announced as a £17 million, 165-room new-build hotel developed in partnership with Andras Hotels — YOTEL's first property in Ireland and its eighth in the UK, built around the brand's compact 'SmartBed' cabin-style rooms and Urban Jungle amenities. A Proposal of Application Notice was submitted to Belfast City Council with an original target to start construction in 2025 and open in late 2026. The project's timeline is genuinely uncertain: Northern Ireland Water has formally objected to the scheme over local sewer-capacity concerns, and Belfast's planning committee has had to weigh overriding that objection against several other developments in the area. Until that dispute is resolved and construction visibly begins, 'late 2026' should be treated as the developer's target rather than a locked-in date.

Dining & wellness

Planned amenities include a 'dynamic food and beverage concept', a 24/7 fitness centre and meeting space, though specific outlet names have not been announced. Details to be confirmed.