The Luttrellstown Castle resort near Castleknock in Dublin, which is co-owned by JP McManus and John Magnier, is to get eight new bedrooms as part of a multimillion renovation of the walled estate.
This will bring the number of bedrooms at the hotel and golf resort to 20, with a completion date of April next year.
This will result in the nightly hire rate for the entire resort increasing from €7,000 upwards at present to €12,000 or more once the new rooms have been opened. These figures exclude the cost of food and beverages.
The resort is used for weddings, parties, corporate entertainment and other events, with those hiring the property having to book all of the bedrooms. The expansion will mean that up to 54 guests can stay there at any one time.
The castle is not being extended to accommodate the new bedrooms. Instead existing rooms are being converted into guest quarters. "Some were staff quarters and some were storage rooms," Ivan King, general manager of Luttrellstown Castle Resort, told The Irish Times.
Other parts of the castle have already been renovated over the past two years as the resort seeks to maintain its position at the luxury end of the market. This work has been led by interior designer Arlene McIntyre of Ventura Design.
Mr King is “really excited” about the next stage of renovation at Luttrellstown. “There is a very active market of visitors, especially from the US, who seek privacy, top-level Irish hospitality, fine dining and heritage along with the extras of golf and fishing, and we look forward to hosting even more guests into 2020 and beyond.”
Weddings
The castle employs about 40 full-time staff, and will host about 115 events this year, Mr King said.
Weddings make up 60 per cent of its business, with corporate entertainment at 15 per cent and the remainder made of up of private family gatherings and afternoon tea in the spring and summer months – it can host about 80 people per day for afternoon tea.
“We are doing 60-plus weddings a year, which is a lot considering we are quite niche,” Mr King said.
Just under half of its guests travel from the US, staying on average for two nights. Mr King said US-based, high net worth individuals “love” the idea of having an Irish castle to themselves for family trips to Ireland.
The 15th century private estate covers 567 acres and contains 300 species of trees and plants, an 18-hole championship golf course, the castle and an alpine lodge-style golf clubhouse.
High-profile guests have included musician Ed Sheeran, who stayed there during his recent Irish tour. Further back in time it hosted Queen Victoria, Princess Grace and Prince Rainier of Monaco, and Hollywood actor Fred Astaire. It is perhaps best known for hosting the wedding of David Beckham and then Posh Spice Victoria Adams in 1999.
