Youghal’s Walter Raleigh Hotel under new ownership following €2.8m sale

Choice Hotels Group chief Andrew O’Neill says his company plans to invest up to €500,000 on the venue, including some indoor restoration and roof works

The Walter Raleigh Hotel overlooking Green Park in Youghal. Picture: Howard Crowdy

Youghal’s Walter Raleigh Hotel is under new ownership following its sale to the Choice Hotel Group.

Following a purchase price of about €2.8m, Choice Hotels Group chief Andrew O’Neill says his company plans to invest up to €500,000 on the East Cork venue, including some indoor restoration and roof works.

The hotel, which has traded as a hotel since 1902, joins four other hotels in the owner-operator group’s current portfolio, comprising the Woodstock in Ennis, the House Hotel and the Hardiman in Galway, and Dublin’s Shoreline.

The hotel's 30 or so staff are being retained at the 40-room facility, including manager Michael Brett, who has overseen the running of the establishment for several years. 

“We are actually hiring more staff at present”, said Mr O’Neill.

Mr O’Neill has a family connection with the hotel as his uncle, Tom O’Neill, co-owned the business during the 1980s. He remembers visiting the venue as a child from Dublin and recalls “a bar that was always busy”.

Mr O’Neill said the hotel had been “undersold” in recent years and added it could be developed “as a gateway” to the wider East Cork and West Waterford region.

He said the new owners would strive to strike “the right balance” between serving as a local cultural facility and a tourist accommodation centre.

“You are close to Midleton, Ballycotton, Garryvoe and also not far from Cork City and Dungarvan,” he said. 

“We feel we can bring some life and add some value for these communities, particularly through strong community participation, be it sports clubs, arts groups, whatever.”

Meanwhile, he sees the new Midleton-Youghal greenway, the local beaches and Youghal’s rich history and heritage offerings as parts of “an unbelievable package” towards attracting visitors.

The Walter Raleigh has long been a treasured focal point in the town’s economy, with the manicured Green Park and small beach directly opposite enhancing its allure both as a social and tourism setting.

It currently stands as the town’s only hotel, and Mr O'Neill's stated intentions have brought considerable relief to the local community and particularly the business sector.

Youghal Chamber of Tourism and Development chairperson Kay Curtin said her organisation "is delighted the hotel will continue to provide its services to the town". 

"We are looking forward to working with the Choice Hotel Group to promote Youghal and the surrounding region into the future."