Western promise

The business that started the hotel empire of the Lynch Group, Co Clare’s West County Hotel, Ennis is being sold by a receiver, for around €2.5m as a going concern.

The hotel group, founded by Michael B Lynch in 1968, went into examinership for a period in 2009, but difficulties surfaced again in 2011 when two hotels went into receivership: one, the Clare Inn has just been sold for about €1.8 million to the neighbouring Dromoland Castle Group, who run Cork’s Castlemartyr Resort.

Now, the Lynch family’s first hotel Ennis’ the West County and its sprawling conference facilities is on the market with CBRE, on the instructions of PwC’s Declan McDonald. With a €2.5/€3m guide, there’s a lot of beds, business and history on offer.

After a series of extensions and alterations, it now has 152 bedrooms, eight conference suites capable of hosting 1,600 guests, leisure centre with a 1,000-strong membership, all on six acres with parking for 450 cars plus coaches.

According to CBRE’s Dermot Curtin “the West County Hotel has traded very successfully and under new ownership will be poised to confirm its position as one of the most highly-regarded full service hotels in the Shannon region.”

He added that it had a substantial current turnover “and, with some strategic investment over the next few years, will continue to maintain its very significant presence as one of Mid West’s leading and most popular family and function hotels.”

When it was opened in 1968 double room B&B rates were about €3.75, or 60s shillings.

* Meanwhile, CBRE this week confirmed the sale of Bray Co Wicklow’s 2,500 sq ft Ardmore Bar, sold for receivers Kavanagh Fennell for around €500,000. It was bought by a local publican and is due to reopen next month.

Details: CBRE 01-6185500