Dalata Hotel Group's CEO and deputy CEO to step down
The chief executive and deputy CEO of Ireland's largest hotel group Dalata Hotel Group have announced their intention to step down from the roles later this year.
This follows the deal by Scandinavian property companies Pandox and Eiendomsspar to buy the owner of the Maldron Hotel and Clayton Hotel brands for €1.4 billion last year.
Dermot Crowley, the current Dalata CEO, and Shane Casserly, the Deputy CEO of Dalata, have committed to remain with the business for a period to ensure a smooth leadership transition and restructuring process.
Dalata operates 56 hotels under the Maldron Hotel and Clayton Hotel brands, mostly in Ireland and the UK, and aims to open new hotels in Europe including in Berlin and Madrid.
It launched a strategic review in March 2025 to explore options for enhancing shareholder value, including a potential sale. Pandox completed the acquisition of Dalata in November 2025.
A management agreement subsequently took effect, under which Scandic assumed operational responsibility for Dalata's hotels, while a business restructuring was initiated to separate Dalata's property business from its hotel operations in line with Pandox's business model.
The restructuring is currently anticipated to be completed in the second half of 2026, with a potential exercise of the option subsequent to this.
Scandic anticipates it will operate Dalata's markets through the same COO‑led operating structure already in place.
Des McCann, currently Chief Operating Officer of Dalata, will continue in his role as COO for Dalata's markets and is set to become a member of the Scandic Executive Committee.
In today's statement, Dalata CEO Dermot Crowley said that after 13 years with Dalata, he has decided that now is the right time for him to step away from the business.
"I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved together as a team and especially since I took over as CEO in 2021. Over the last five years, we have added 16 hotels (3,800 rooms) across Ireland, the UK and Europe," he said.
The CEO said the business is in a very strong place.
"Through focusing on our people and our guests, our employee engagement and customer satisfaction scores are at record high levels. We are on target to open three new hotels in Dublin, Edinburgh and Berlin this year with a further four hotels in the pipeline in London, Edinburgh and Madrid," Mr Crowley said.
"I have every confidence that under the leadership of Scandic, the appointed operator, Dalata will continue to prosper," he added.
