The Robert Gordon University has struck a multimillion-pound deal to sell part of its Schoolhill campus in Aberdeen to a luxury hotel chain.
The Malmaison Hotel du Vin Group has bought the prime city-centre site for what is understood to be a planned 200-bedroom development.
The properties which have been sold are the university’s 85,000sq ft Clarke Building and 16,000sq ft student union premises, next to Aberdeen Art Gallery.
Robert Gordon University (RGU) principal Ferdinand Von Prondzynski said last night that the hotel scheme would help the institution progress with its new campus at Garthdee while “driving forward” the regeneration of the city centre.
Malmaison has 13 hotels in the UK, including one in Queen’s Road in Aberdeen and others in Dundee, Belfast, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Oxford and Reading.
The group also has 15 Hotel de Vin developments nationwide
A spokesman for Malmaison did not respond to a request for comment last night, and it remains unclear if the new scheme will be a Malmaison or Hotel de Vin development.
The sale of the RGU buildings, which extend down Harriet Street, follows a deal for the St Andrew’s Street building, which was sold to the Sandman Group.
The Canadian firm said in July that it would invest £20million in the 220-bedroom complex with a restaurant and convention facilities.
At the time, then-first minister Alex Salmond said it would help meet a shortage of hotel rooms at the top end of the market in Aberdeen, a problem exacerbated by the closure of the Marcliffe at Pitfodels.
Last night, Aberdeen City Council leader Jenny Laing said: “It is clear that we have a shortage of hotel accommodation within the city and we obviously welcome operators who are keen to deliver new developments.”
RGU said the sale process was part of its “strategic commitment” to move all of its academic activities to the £170million Garthdee campus, which it is currently developing to provide its students with a “state-of-the-art teaching and learning environment”.
Professor von Prondzynski said: “The sale of the Schoolhill buildings allows us to continue with the development of our Garthdee campus while helping to drive forward the regeneration of Aberdeen’s city centre.
“Schoolhill is a highly prominent and accessible location nestled among the city’s retail and leisure amenities and so will make a fantastic site for a hotel of its kind, helping to put Aberdeen on the map as a sought-after tourist destination.”
RGU is building new facilities for the Scott Sutherland School of Architecture and Built Environment, as part of the ongoing development of the university’s Riverside East building, which opened to students in September last year.
Prof von Prondzynski added: “The capital received will allow us to continue with the development of our teaching and learning facilities, providing our students with an outstanding educational environment.
“The new facilities will complement the existing buildings at the east end of the campus in terms of their innovative design and style, while providing a leading educational setting for our students.
“The campus will retain its park-like ambience and provide a recreational setting for the benefit of staff, students and the local community.”
It is understood that the deal is subject to planning permission being agreed.