Inside the Brennan brothers' brand new hotel

John and Francis Brennan have overhauled the Lansdowne, a town hotel in Kenmare

John and Francis Brennan, owners of The Lansdowne Hotel, Kenmare. Picture: Andy Gibson.

Back in November, John and Francis Brennan began the €1m transformation of the Park Hotel. Two years in the planning, it was a considerable undertaking in the midst of a pandemic, the hospitality industry as it was in a state of crisis.

And then that very same month, The Lansdowne Arms, the town hotel directly across the road from the five-star property, went into receivership. John had tried to buy it before - twice. And he knew this was an opportunity he couldn’t miss.

So as lockdowns were enforced and eased, the Brennans found themselves transforming two hotels.

Initially the Lansdowne was set to be a venue for guests at Dromquinna Manor - John Brennan’s wedding and glamping destination.

But once they wandered through the corridors, they knew the hotel had potential for more.

And so the idea for The Lansdowne Kenmare was born.

It would give a new lease of life to the town hotel. Once the lifeblood of entire Irish communities, hotels like the Lansdowne were decimated, says John, a legacy of Celtic Tiger tax incentive schemes that encouraged new builds over renovations. Hotels were erected on the outskirts of towns, drawing people away from town centres and the hotels that once dominated main streets.

Drive through most Irish towns now and the hotels that once made up a large footprint of the main street are either closed down or in a state of disrepair, says John. Just a handful of them thrive, with The Lansdowne Kenmare, one of the oldest surviving town hotels in the country, now set to join that shortlist.

John and Francis Brennan, owners of The Lansdowne Hotel, Kenmare. Picture: Andy Gibson.

Francis first stood in the foyer of the hotel on December 20.

“Do you know, we could have opened that night,” he says. “The former owners left it spotless, the beds were made, the soap was at the sink.” The decor though was dark and traditional. John had a vision for the hotel, enlisting local interior designers Edit to make his wishlist a reality.

All the traditional architectural features have been reinstated and the end result has the feel of a charming country house, a neutral colour palette set against panelling, fabric walls, and velvet finishes to create contrast and texture. Deep lush carpeting, leather seating and chandeliers ooze a luxurious finish.

The Lansdowne Kenmare is The Park - but without the price tag.

“It's the same ambiance and character of The Park," says John. "I always say at The Park you won't be carrying your own bag, but you will be in the Lansdowne."

Francis Brennan, joint owner of The Lansdowne Hotel, Kenmare, adjusts the bedding in one of the hotel's rooms. Picture: Andy Gibson.

In the bedrooms, the bed linen and towels are from Francis’ collection at Dunnes Stores. The LK Cafe, with its outdoor seating at the top of the town, is already buzzing just days after opening, with its European-inspired menu of crepes and coffees, transforming to a wine bar with artisan platters from 5pm for summer.

Inside, still close to the general public, the restaurant and its high quality food offering is everything you’d expect from the Brennans. There’s even an outdoor terrace for dining. But one of the nicest touches is John’s decision to retain one of the Lansdowne Arms’ best sellers - the chocolate chip cookie, fresh from the oven, with a scoop of ice cream on top.

“Look, you can’t come in with a brush and make a clean sweep of everything,” says John. Francis agrees. “The reviews for the hotel were very good on Trip Advisor,” he says. And they were very respectful of that success.

All but three members of staff also stayed on. “I spoke to one of them and she said she was worried it wouldn’t be fun,” said Francis, “but she said she was delighted with us.” The original double doors, so synonymous with the hotel, were retained too.

The foyer of the Landsdowne Hotel, Kenmare. Pic: Barry Murphy

The response locally has been “superb” the brothers say.

It was a tough time to turn around such extensive renovations on two hotels in a six-month timeframe, in the midst of restrictive lockdowns.

The Brennans enlisted locals tradespeople on the whole, asking them to work across the two hotels, located as they are just a street apart.

The Park had its high profile reopening just over three weeks ago, its refurbishment overseen by internationally acclaimed designer Bryan O’Sullivan, Elle Décor Interior Designer of the Year 2020. His work can be seen at the Berkeley and Claridge’s hotels in London. Now The Park has a new reception area, a cocktail bar and a champagne bar, as well as an outdoor dining terrace. The drawingroom and diningroom have also been completely rearranged.

The stucco plasterwork in the drawingroom and hallway was done over a seven-week period by a team of master craftsmen from Venice.

A look at the LK Café. Pic: Barry Murphy Photography

And yet, guests have entered The Park and barely recognised a change. That subtlety was just what Francis and John had hoped for.

“One lady came in and she said, 'did you do anything to this room now'? And I said, well I just spent 10,000 on this room. But I didn’t say that out loud of course,” Francis laughs.

It’s been a tough time for the industry, the Brennans admit, particularly for restaurants without access to outdoor dining. “But we are lucky in this country,” John insists. “The government has been very good to the industry.” 

All this, and then John announces he has written a book. It’s partly a guide to business, but it’s first a foremost “a book about dyslexia, hopefully for parents with kids who aren’t top of the class”. It was written in that first lockdown, in March 2020, a time when most of us took a step back from the busyness of life. 

Francis meanwhile has two more books set for release. And then there’s At Your Service. The brothers are currently filming a new series of the hit TV show.

Now, with three hotels - The Park, Dromquinna and The Lansdowne - what’s next for the Brennans? Francis and the hotels’ PR and marketing manager look directly at John: “You’d never know what he’s plotting next.” 

Watch this space.