The Bunratty Castle Hotel has joined BWH Hotel Group, and will now operate as the first BW Signature Collection hotel in Ireland.

The 114-bedroom hotel in Co Clare is owned by the Blarney Woollen Mills Group and will continue to trade as Bunratty Castle while leveraging off the international hotel organisation, formerly known as Best Western Hotels and Resorts.

BWH Hotel Group says it is now targeting Irish hotel owners, developers and investors in all market segments with a new-look brand portfolio. It aims to have ten hotels operating under the BWH umbrella within five years, and is seeking both existing properties and new builds with at least 75 rooms in both Ireland and Northern Ireland.

The chain recently acquired global hotel brand WorldHotels, with its collection of around 300 ‘special’ hotels and resorts in premier destinations.

BWH Hotel Group has a portfolio of 17 brands with approximately 4,700 branded hotels in operation in more than 100 countries. In Ireland, it’s looking to establish the BW Signature Collection, Best Western Plus, Best Western Signature and Best Western Premier brands as well as new boutique brands, Sadie and Aiden.

In Association with

BWH says that aligned hotels benefit from access to BWH’s global reservation system; participation in Best Western Rewards, the brand’s loyalty programme with 38 million members; and mobile, e-commerce and technology resources.

The BWH fee structure is a percentage of gross room revenue.