Hotels

Best Western now BWH

BWH Hotel Group has launched in Ireland and is targeting Irish hotel owners, developers and investors in all market segments with a new-look brand portfolio. bwh1019

Formerly Best Western Hotels & Resorts, the group recently rebranded to BWH Hotel Group to demonstrate how the brand has changed and emerged significantly over the past number of years. BWH Hotel Group recently acquired renowned global hotel brand WorldHotels™ representing a collection of approximately 300 unique and special hotels and resorts in premier destinations around the world, which will play a critical role in enhancing BWH’s portfolio of offerings to include the upper upscale and luxury segments.

The Group has launched an awareness-building campaign to demonstrate the brand’s evolution to Irish hotel owners, developers and potential investors, and aims to have 10 hotels in Ireland within five years targeting both existing properties and new builds with at least 75 rooms in both the Republic and Northern Ireland.

€2.9m profit at Slieve Russell

The Slieve Russell Hotel in Co Cavan, once owned by Sean Quinn, has seen its pre-tax profits increase more than three fold to €2.9m in the last year. slieverussell1019

New accounts show that Slieve Russell Hotel Property Ltd recorded the increase as a result of the reversal of a €2.37m prior year non-cash impairment.

Revenues at the hotel company last year dropped marginally from €14.8m to €14.66m.

With the collapse of the Quinn empire, the Irish Bank Resolution Corporation (IBRC), assumed control of the Slieve Russell when a share receiver was appointed to the hotel firm in April 2011.

'Marker' to be 'Anantara'

The Marker Hotel in Dublin’s Grand Canal Square will be relaunched under the Anantara brand in the coming months following an agreement with the Marker’s new owners, the marker1019

German real estate investment group Deka Immobilien.

Minor Hotels, the Bangkok-headquartered hotel group that owns the Anantara brand, said it was “thrilled” to announce the expansion of the luxury Anantara brand into northwest Dublin and “the fair city of Dublin”.

Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas, which was first set up in Thailand in 2001, has its name on two other hotel properties in Europe: the Anantara Vilamoura Algarve Resort in Portugal and the Anantara Villa Padierna Palace in Marbella, Spain. This will be its first urban hotel in Europe.

Drought hits hotel profit

Castlerosse Park Resort in Killarney says its trading profits for 2018 have fallen by 12pc mainly because of a €70,000 loss at its golf course.

The hotel said its nine-hole course suffered from "severe drought" and "severe weather conditions" last summer. That reduced trading profits to €499,000, it said.

Otherwise the resort, owned by Con Horgan, reported solid figures for 2018 and says it's well positioned for growth, having received a Fáilte Ireland upgrade to four-star status.

Ardboyne Hotel for sale

The Cusack family is selling the Ardboyne Hotel in Navan, Co Meath. Lisney Morrisseys are quoting €3.5m for the venue which comes with two nearby sites and development potential.

A three-star hotel, the Ardboyne accommodates 29 purpose-built bedrooms as well as the old world-style Kells bar, Hugo's restaurant with 100 covers, a banqueting suite suitable for 300 people, three meeting rooms and a former nightclub with capacity for 450.

Its conference and banqueting facilities can cater for 860 people and include the large Boyne Suite, which can accommodate 300 guests and is a popular venue for large weddings and other functions; the Tara Suite which caters for more intimate occasions for up to 70 guests; the Taylor Suite can accommodate up to 40 guests and is popular for private dining group events; the Swan Venue can accommodate as many as 250 people seated or 450 standing.

All the bedrooms and suites are arranged in one block over the ground and first floors.