A quaint hotel, located in the picturesque town of Kinvara in south county Galway near the border of county Clare, has just recently been put up for sale. The Merriman Hotel will be offered by auctioneers O’Donnellan & Joyce at 3pm on Friday 25th May in the Victoria Hotel in Galway city. The Merriman is expected to have an Advised Minimum Value (AMV) of €400,000.
The 32 bedroom hotel is located right on Kinvara main street. The town of Kinvara is one of the main tourist attractions in County Galway and can be considered as a gateway to neighbouring county Clare. Kinvara main street is part of the busy N67 road which brings hundreds of thousands of visitors each year to two of the most famous tourist attractions in Ireland, namely the Burren and the cliffs of Moher. The Burren, (coming from the Irish Boireann), meaning great rock, is one of the largest karst-stone landscapes anywhere in Europe. The area is a National Park and, along with the cliffs of Moher, forms an almost obligatory pilgrimage for any tourist visiting the west of Ireland.
Given its strategic location and huge potential from passing... Click to read more about hotels in Galway
The already vibrant festival scene in Galway is to gain another new addition this year. This week saw the launch of the Galway Food Festival which will run from 6th April to 8thof April 2012. This latest festival is aimed at promoting both good food and the many good food outlets to be found in Galway city and the surrounding areas. The festival hopes to highlight the many good food producers based in Galway and the west and is sure to attract many visitors to the city and its many quality hotels.
The event will be a city-wide festival involving many restaurants, hotels and other food outlets in the city. There will be many activities for guests to take part in like restaurant trails, cookery workshops and demonstrations as well as cookery competitions with renowned Galway chefs and other personalities. Various ‘Know Your Vines’ workshops involving industry experts will be held as well as tours to local artisan food producers and open air food markets including the well-known Galway Market.
Dave Keogh, chairman of the Latin Quarter, welcomed the announcement of this latest festival: “Galway is synonymous with good food, award-winning restaurants and great festivals. The city is renowned for its... Click to read more about hotels in Galway
Over recent weeks the Harbour Hotel in Galway has undergone some extensive refurbishments with a view to attracting ever more business from the corporate meetings market. This three-star Galway hotel has four meeting rooms that have all been given a make-over for the New Year. In addition, there are two syndicate rooms of various sizes and layouts. These various meeting rooms can accommodate anything from two people up to 130 delegates. Each of the rooms has plenty of natural daylight and all have the latest, modern AV equipment installed.
Thanks to these developments at the Harbour Hotel holding meetings in Galway city centre is now easier than ever. The hotel is on New Dock Road, only a few minutes walk from Eyre Square, and has extensive, free, onsite parking available as well as free WiFi throughout the building. The Harbour Hotel is a great option for breakfast seminars, interviews, boardroom meetings, or training events. The meeting and events co-ordinator, Anna Byrne, will look after customers right from the booking stage to ensuring the event runs smoothly on the day.
For larger events, the John B Keane suite is a more than suitable space. This room has a large ceiling atrium,... Click to read more about hotels in Galway
The Galway festival season is now under way and should bring some welcome benefits to those involved in the hotel sector in the city in terms of occupancy rates, room rates and restaurant and bar takings. Although the tourism sector in Ireland in general has had to face tough times over the last two years, Galway can always rely on its summer festivals like the Galway Arts Festival, the Galway Film Fleadh and, of course, the famous Galway Races to bring tourists and their disposable incomes to the capital of the West. In total it is estimated that these festivals are worth as much as €90 million to the local economy in Galway. The Film Fleadh is estimated to bring in around €5 million, the Arts Festival some €20 million and the Galway Races between €50 and €70 million.
The Galway Film Fleadh took place last week running from Tuesday 05th July to Sunday 10th July. The Galway Arts festival started on 11th July and runs through to July 24th and this year includes artists like Misterman, De La Soul and Blondie. The Galway Races takes place during the last week in July and this year runs from Monday... Click to read more about hotels in Galway
In September a major sporting attraction, the Ironman competition, will come to Galway for the first time. In fact, it will be the first time such an event has been held anywhere in Ireland. Peter Kern, a top German triathlon trainer, believes Galway is a great location for the event and said recently: “Galway has the structures to deal with lots of people. There are enough hotels and the landscape is quite famous. It was almost the natural selection for an Ironman race.”
It is expected that the event could attract as many as 2,000 visitors to Galway and generate revenues of nearly €5 million for the local economy. Indeed, as Ironman could use Galway as its base for the Irish leg of the competition for a further five years it could prove a very lucrative relationship for the city. However, at a recent meeting of Galway City Council a number of councillors expressed concerns that the hotels in Galway could be tempted to use the event to push up their prices over the first weekend in September. Labour Councillor Collette Connelly said: “It is bad for the city when hotels put up their prices for events such as... Click to read more about hotels in Galway