Best Western Hotels & Resorts has signed up the 144-room Bunratty Castle Hotel,  located in Bunratty, Co. Clare.  Bunratty Castle Hotel is owned by The Blarney Woollen Mills Group Limited. The hotel will operate under its own name but with the additional opportunities offered by being part of the BWHR portfolio.

Primarily targeted at the overseas and domestic leisure and corporate markets, the Bunratty Castle Hotel is  located between Shannon Airport and Limerick City.

Situated close to Bunratty Castle and Folk Park, which earlier this year announced an €8 million development plan, the 4 star hotel will be marketed as a BW Signature Collection Hotel by Best Western.

The Hotel has undergone a recent refurbishment including an allocation of 74 executive rooms available to corporate travelers.  It houses an Angsana Spa, one of only two in Ireland, which is currently undergoing a revamp, a gastro pub serving fresh local produce, ample parking and access to local amenities. It is also close to golf courses in both Limerick and Clare.

BWHR plans to have 10 hotels in Ireland within the next five years and has been actively targeting existing hotel owners and new builds with at least 75 rooms in both the Republic and Northern Ireland.  This, the first BW Signature Collection by Best Western will be joined by another two hotels to be announced in the next few months.

In Association with

General Manager Danny Corbett said: “We are delighted to be part of the first wave of new hotels to join the Best Western Hotels & Resort BW Signature Collection portfolio in Ireland and to take advantage of all the benefits this global powerhouse offers."

Bunratty Castle Hotel will now have access to Best Western's US$4 billion global reservation system; participation in Best Western Rewards loyalty programme with over 40 million members to date; and mobile, e-commerce and technology resources.  The Group has a portfolio of over 4,200 branded hotels in operation with a global footprint covering over 100 countries. Their objective is to motivate more Irish hotel owners and investors to take a look at the new brand image and talk to them about working with the Group.

There are 13 brands in the BWHR portfolio that cater for all market segments, from 3 to 5-star property types. In the UK, there are 250 hotels, while BWHR is the largest hotel group in Sweden, with 156 hotels in Germany, Italy and has over 2,000 hotels in North America.

In Ireland, the group is looking to establish the Best Western Plus, Best Western Premier brands and BW Signature Collection by Best Western as well as new boutique brands, Sadie and Aiden, whether for hotel conversion opportunities or indeed new builds. Bunratty Castel Hotel will operate under the BW Signature Collection by Best Western Soft Brand.