Stein Group aims for 50 hotels

European boutique hotel operator the Stein Group plans to expand to 50 properties within the next 10 years, more than doubling its current portfolio.

Founder David Stein had previously announced a target of 25 hotels by 2008, but with 15 properties operational and a further five in the pipeline, targets have been increased.

"We have hotels under development in Spain, Italy and Ireland and have verbal contracts with projects in Eastern Europe," Stein said. "We will also be looking at sites in Scandinavia, Canada and the Caribbean as well as in US cities such as New York, Miami and Chicago."

New hotels will be a mixture of owned and managed properties.

The latest addition announced this week, the 41-bedroom Cliffhouse in Ardmore near Cork, Ireland, is due to open next year.

Meanwhile, the restaurant at London's Cadogan hotel, acquired by the group last year, will be relaunched as Langtry's next month. Robert Lyons, from the Millennium Baileys hotel in Kensington, will take over as head chef from Jeroen Pruijssers next month.