Hotels

Adare adds another Award

Adare Manor was voted 'Ireland's Top Hotel' in the 'Irish Independent Reader Travel Awards'. The Liberty Grill in Cork won the 'Beest Breakfast' title while the 'Welcome Award' went to Hayfield Manor, Cork. The Cliffsa of Moher was named 'Yop Visitor Attraction' and the Bray-Greystones Cliff Walk took the 'Best Local Attraction' title.

Adare

Tbe top ten hotels were:, 1. Adare Manor, Co Limerick, 2.The Shelbourne, Dublin, 3.Ashford Castle, Co Mayo, 4.The Westbury, Dublin, 5.Mount Juliet, Co Kilkenny

6. Powerscourt Hotel, Co Wicklow, 7. Druid's Glen, Co Wicklow, 8. The Europe, Co Kerry, 9Castle Leslie, Co Monaghan, 10. Harvey's Point, Co Donegal

3,000 new hotel rooms for Dublin

More than 3,000 extra rooms are due for delivery across 15 new Dublin hotels in 2020.

Corporate property specialists, JLL, havve predicted “a tougher year ahead for in the hotels sector”, at their annual outlook briefing in Dublin.

Among the new hotels is the 421 bedroom Holiday Inn at Dublin Airport and the 249 bed Hampton by Hilton Dublin Four Courts (Former Motor Tax office).

John Kajani, whom JLL describes as “one of the most active private hotel owner-operator and developers”, is behind both schemes.

The only new hotel scheduled to open in Cork this year is the 136-bed The Dean Hotel at Horgan’s Quay.

JLL said there are other schemes in the pipeline in Cork which they expect construction to commence on in 2020. They are currently selling 71 South Mall – a former banking hall with full planning permission for a 58-bed guestroom boutique hotel.

In Galway, two hotels are under construction and are due to open in 2020: the 134-bed The Dean Galway and a 27-bedroom extension to the Glen Oaks Hotel.

Objectors win Tower appeal

An Bord Pleanála has upheld an appeal against the Tower Hotel in Waterford City to extend its property into a Georgian quarter.

The hotel had secured permission from Waterford Council to demolish terrace houses at 17-20 Lombard St, affecting a property at the adjoining The Mall, and two protected ornamental lamp posts.

Fáilte Ireland had supported the plan but it was opposed by businesswoman Monica Leech, on the grounds of being “inappropriate in the streetscape”.

Upholding the appeal, An Bord Pleanála said that “exceptional circumstances” to allow the go-ahead had not been proven.

The Lombard St properties date from the early 1700s and numbers 17 and 18 are registered on the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage, while No 18 is the birthplace of William Hobson, who was the first governor of New Zealand.

The property at No 36 The Mall is also a protected structure of architectural importance.

Profit gain at expanding Hodson Group

Pre-tax profits at the Hodson Bay hotel group last year increased by five per cent to €2.1 million. Controlled by the O’Sullivan family, it includes the four-star Hodson Bay hotel

and the four-star Sheraton hotel in Athlone, along with the four-star Galway Bay hotel.

The group also entered the Dublin market last year with the opening of its €50 million 234-bedroom Hyatt Centric hotel at the Coombe near St Patrick’s Cathedral. The new hotel provided the group with a 47 per cent increase in rooms, from 495 to 729. Its Hodson Bay hotel has 175 rooms, with 167 at the Sheraton and 153 at the Galway Bay hotel.

Hotels report 'Curates' Egg' Year

As the 2019 tourism season comes to a close, the hotel sector is reporting a year of mixed performances, according to the results of the latest industry barometer from the Irish mlennon0718

Hotels Federation (IHF). Business sentiment amongst hotel and guesthouse owners across the country is continuing to fall with just over a third (35%) reporting a positive outlook for 2020, as the uncertainty over Brexit and the high cost of doing business take their toll and overseas visitor growth continues to slow down.

While almost half of hoteliers (48%) reported an increase in business for the year, just slightly fewer (44%) reported a fall. Business levels from the domestic and US markets remain strong, with 48% of hoteliers reporting increases in the domestic market and 44% of hoteliers reporting increases in the US market. However, the UK market continues to decline. Seven in ten hoteliers saw a drop in business from Great Britain this year, while over half reported a fall in business levels from Northern Ireland. The fallout from Brexit next year and the high cost of doing business remain key concerns for the sector with many highlighting the significant negative impact that escalating insurance costs and local authority rates are having on competiveness.