THE countdown to the re-opening of the landmark Woodstock in Ennis has begun, with the doors set to open at the end of this month.
While the hotel is being opened on a phased basis, according to Choice Hotel Group, they are already taking bookings for all areas of the hotel, which is being re-branded Hotel Woodstock.
The re-opening of the hotel is also set to create 50 jobs, with that figure expected to grow. Recruitment for positions across all departments has begun.
The purchase of the Woodstock brings Choice Hotel Group’s portfolio to a total of seven hotels in Ireland and one in the UK.
“We are very excited about this addition to our group of hotels, and believe that the local community are also looking forward to seeing the hotel back open,” says Darragh Brady, regional group general manager for Choice Hotel Group.
“With a location just outside Ennis town and a short drive to Galway and Limerick cities, this hotel is an ideal base for the leisure or corporate guest. We will also be open for weddings and local functions. We look forward to meeting our neighbours.”
The hotel is situated on 155 acres of rolling countryside, incorporating Woodstock Golf Course, located beside the hotel and operated independently.
The hotel will open at the end of July with bedrooms, bar and lobby opening initially and a phased approach to opening the restaurant, leisure centre and function space, all following in the subsequent months.
“A substantial investment is being made to ensure that Hotel Woodstock opens its doors as the landmark four-star hotel of Ennis, welcoming old and new friends from Ennis and further afield,” says Andrew O’Neill, CEO, Choice Hotel Group.
“Most importantly we will create 50 new jobs in Ennis upon opening, which will grow as we establish the business. An exciting opportunity now exists to become part of the pre-opening team, as we recruit for positions across all departments.”
Built and opened in 2000, Woodstock was one of three hotels in the Dunne Hotels Group. However, it closed in 2008 when a liquidator was appointed to the group.
The hotel re-opened in 2009, after hotelier Noel Mulhaire and a UK-based consortium reached agreement with the liquidators but closed again in January 2013.
Jessica Quinn
A native of Ennis, Colin McGann has been editor of The Clare Champion since August 2020. Former editor of The Clare People, he is a journalism and communications graduate of Dublin Institute of Technology.