John & Francis Brennan set to wrap up Lansdowne hotel sale in time for Christmas
John and Francis Brennan outside the soon-to-be-sold The Lansdowne Hotel, Kenmare. Picture: Andy Gibson.
A LOCAL man with a background in hospitality is understood to be the preferred bidder in advanced talks around the sale of the Brennan brothers Lansdowne Hotel in Kenmare.
The sale is expected to close before Christmas, just weeks after John and Francis Brennan and investor Fergal Naughton sold the iconic Park Hotel in Kenmare to Irish businessman and social entrepreneur, Bryan Meehan, for an undisclosed sum.
The man poised to buy the Lansdowne is a member of a family with past links to the 28-bed hotel when it was known as the Lansdowne Arms. He has worked in hospitality since his teens, building on his career in Europe and the US before returning to Ireland. He has worked in a number of world-class hotels, including in the role of general manager at two exclusive Kerry venues.
The Brennan brothers are understood to be happy with the choice of preferred bidder, following interest in the hotel from local, national and international parties.
Both the Lansdowne and its exclusive sister hotel, the Park, came to market last May via agents CBRE.
The 46-bed 5-star Park had a guide price of €17m while the smaller, four-star Lansdowne had a €3.5m guide.
The Brennans bought the latter in January 2021 and refurbished it during the pandemic, re-opening as lockdowns eased. It achieved Fáilte Ireland's 4-star status in 2022.
The hotel, which curves between Main Street and Shelbourne Street, is one of the town’s oldest buildings, dating to 1790, when it was built as the town residence of William Petty Fitzmaurice, 2nd Earl of Shelburne. It’s directly across the road from the entrance to the Park, which was bought out of receivership by Francis Brennan in the 1980s, when it was associated with Dutch speculator Ernst Weeland. Mr Weeland bought it for £147,000 after CIE put the one-time Great Southern Railway (GSR) hotel up for sale in 1977. In 2018, Fergal Naughton, executive chair of the Glen Dimplex Group, became an investor, acquiring a 30% stake.
Mr Meehan, its new owner, is a US-based Dubliner who cofounded the Nude Skincare brand in 2007 with Ali Hewson, wife of U2 frontman Bono. The company was acquired by luxury brand retailer LVMH in 2007. Mr Meehan subsequently headed up Blue Bottle Coffee, a Californian-based coffee chain focused on sustainability. Swiss food giant Nestlé acquired a majority stake in 2017 for more than €400m.
Mr Meehan has said he and his wife Tara intend to continue the tradition of comfort, hospitality and fun that was part of experience for visitors to the Park, during the Brennan brothers almost 40-year tenure.
He has also said he paid less than what the Brennans had sought for it, but "more than I would have liked". He opted not to buy the Lansdowne as he doesn't live in Kenmare and felt that "to try and do two [hotels] might be a bit ambitious".
Meanwhile the man who looks set to buy the Lansdowne is fully aware of the Brennans' high standards, having previously worked for them. He's also familiar with the area as he hails from Kenmare town.Â
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