West County sale welcomed

PRESIDENT of the Irish Hotels Federation, Michael Vaughan, has described the announcement of the sale of the West County Hotel as a relief to the hotel industry. News of the sale of the iconic Ennis hotel to the Waterford-based Treacy Hotel Group has been widely welcomed in the region, with hopes that the 90 jobs at the hotel will be secured.
Speaking to The Clare Champion, Mr Vaughan said, “In hotel circles, we are very relieved at the sale because in the first instance it concludes what was a very lenghty receivership and receivership in general isn’t a good thing for the industry. This now begins a new chapter for the hotel and we wish the new owners well. We would now hope that the new owners would put the funds that are required into the hotel to bring the West County back to the eminent position it had in its heyday.”
He described the hotel as a “critical piece” of the county’s tourism infrastructure, adding, “It is even more critical for the town of Ennis in the sense that the town needs a hotel that can produce a conference for 500 people over a weekend and that can produce the type of event-based tourism that the West County has always been known for.”
He added, “We would hope, for the sake of the employment that the West County offers and for the future success of the Treacy family, that they will be able to realise the potential of the hotel. The price has not been disclosed but it is generally thought to have been in or around €2million which, was the guide price originally. I think  the new owners have got some value, you couldn’t replace the hotel at the price they bought it.”
He concluded, “The Lynch family ran the hotel for many years and I would hope that the Treacys, being a hotel family, would preserve the best qualities that the Lynchs embodied in that hotel over the years.”
President of Ennis Chamber, Brian O’Neill, in welcoming the announcement of the sale, highlighted the importance of the West County to the county capital.
“It’s great to see that the hotel has been purchased and that it’s going to continue to be operated as a hotel because the West County is a very valuable business for the town of Ennis.
“There is a large amount of bedrooms down there and the customers of the hotel are also very valued customers of the retail and hospitality businesses in and around the town of Ennis.”