Hotels group Jurys Doyle returned to profits growth as it said it remained on track to add 1,000 rooms to its UK portfolio by next year.

Despite challenging trading conditions, the Dublin operator said the popularity of its three-star Jurys Inn brand had helped pre-tax profits rise six per cent to 30.6m euro (£19.9m) in the six months to October 31.

It has also been encouraged by a trading recovery at its two properties in Washington DC and also by a return to profits growth at its London hotels.

The company has 12 hotels in the UK but that figure is likely to rise to 16 by the middle of next year as construction continues as planned on sites providing Jurys Inns at Glasgow, Leeds, Chelsea and Newcastle.

The 274-room property in Newcastle will be the first of the four to open in February and is expected to be the largest hotel in the city.

Jurys added that it would continue to identify suitable four-star hotel and three-star Jurys Inn development opportunities and to build on the success of its recent openings, in Birmingham and in Croydon.

Yesterday's results mark a revival for the company after pre-tax profits in the previous six-month period to April 30 fell eight per cent year-on-year.

Jurys said that its balanced portfolio of hotels and inns in major city centres had helped offset the impact of challenging trading conditions, although its larger Dublin hotels continued to be impacted by reduced corporate activity