Hotel articles

Malone Buys Limerick Strand

Irish-American businessman John Malone has agreed terms to buy the Limerick Strand Hotel in the city for close to €20m, according to to-day's 'Irish Independent'

Mr Malone, who controls cable supplier UPC through his conglomerate Liberty Global, has already bought a number of hotels in Ireland over the past three years.

The include the Westin Hotel in Dublin for €60m, the Trinity City Hotel in Dublin for €30m and Humewood Castle for €8m.

The four-star Limerick Strand Hotel was developed at a cost of €40m in 2007. It was built on the site of the former Jurys Hotel and is part of a wider project by developer John Lally through his company Lalco.

Slieve Russell Cuts Losses

The Slieve Russell Hotel in Cavan, now under the control of a receiver, cut its losses from €9.2m to €544,000 last year as a writedown in the value of the property wasn't repeated.

Underlying operating profit at the hotel rose 27pc to €439,000 despite turnover dipping to €11.3m from €11.9m.

The Slieve Russell company has indicated that it expects to post positive earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) this year and that it will generate "significant positive cash flows" for the remainder of this year and for 2015.

Sheen Falls tops Condé Nast list

Sheen Falls Lodge is the top European resort according to readers of Condé Nast Traveler magazine.

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Condé Nast named four Irish hotels among its Top 10 European Resorts.

Sheen Falls Lodge tops the list at No.1, with Ashford Castle ranked second, the K Club fourth and Adare Manor rounding off the Irish showing in tenth place.

The Top 10 Resorts in Europe is as follows:

Trust Builds Business

By Ciara Feely

Ciara Feely Green Exec Shot

Meeting Planners don’t believe traditional marketing material any more. They don’t even respond to “a Sales Pitch” and are indeed put off by it. They believe their peers, other Planners and what delegates are saying on social media. They need to feel Trust before they will engage with you. I have a number of different strategies to incorporate “TRUST” into your overall marketing plan; strategies that ensure the Planner is listening, believing and wanting what you are promising.

Westbury celebrates 30th.

The Westbury Hotel, in Dublin’s celebrates its 30th anniversary this month.

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Vincent O’Gorman, general manager is pictured with his team.

A member of the Doyle Collection, The Westbury has played host to many of the world’s most famous names from the world of entertainment, business and the arts including Tom Cruise; Audrey Hepburn; Gregory Peck; Martin Scorsese; Johnny Depp; Al Pacino and Bill Gates.

As part its 30th Anniversary celebrations, The Westbury Hotel is unveiling a €2 million investment in the Hotel, including the re-design of The Grafton Suite, triple-glazed windows for each of its 205 rooms and the arrival of a new restaurant –Balfes.