The Jurys Doyle Hotel Group has appointed Bill Walshe as its new chief executive. Mr Walshe (40) joins from Jumeirah, the Dubai-based luxury hospitality management company where he was group chief marketing and business innovation officer.

He replaces Niall Geoghegan, who left Jurys Doyle recently as part of the €1.165 billion sale of the Jurys Inns chain of budget hotels to Quinlan Private.

Mr Doyle, who joined Jumeirah in 2001, took up his post yesterday but was not available for comment. He will head a chain of 11 Jurys hotels in Ireland, Britain and the United States.

It is understood the owners of Jurys Doyle want to take the hotel chain upmarket and Mr Walshe's appointment is a sign of their intent in this regard.

Jumeirah's operations included the seven-star Burj al Arab hotel in Dubai.

In a statement released yesterday, Jurys said it planned to invest more than €100 million in its existing portfolio of hotels over the next two years. It plans to create a "collection of unique luxury hotel experiences, reflecting their individual styles and surroundings".

Bernie Gallagher, Jurys Doyle chairman said: "This will involve a substantial capital investment programmed across the entire portfolio of hotels."

Following the sale of the Inns chain, Jurys Doyle now owns two hotels in Dublin, one in Cork, three in London, one in Bristol and four in the US.

Mr Walshe joined Jumeirah six years ago from the Kempinski Hotels and Resorts group where he was a vice-president of sales and a director of global sales and communications.

Jurys Doyle is owned by JDH Acquisitions, an investment vehicle used by the family of the late PV Doyle to take the group private for €1.25 billion in 2005.