€2 Million Investment to Transform the Westgrove, Clane and Create an Extra 50 Jobs as Super Connected Kildare Hospitality Location Set to be Boosted by Uplift in Economy
An €2 million investment project is set to transform the Westgrove Hotel, Clane and create an extra 50 jobs this Summer as the owners, the Clane based Fadden family, look forward to developing the well known hospitality business in the next phase of its exciting evolution buoyed by the current bounce and positive outlook on the economy this year. The 4 Star hotel was built and opened in 2006 and this fresh investment will further modernise the well known location up to 2022 levels in line with its competition and meet as well as exceed customer expectations.
Leading interior design company Ventura Design who have worked on a project in the Adare Manor Estate, in Luttrellstown Castle as well as work for the likes of Pippa O’Connor, Vogue Williams and Made in Chelsea star Millie Macintosh are overseeing €2m project which include a complete upgrade to all meeting and event spaces including new soft furnishings, full upgrade of the hotel’s bedroom suites as well as a new luxury Bridal Dressing Room and Salon which will be one of the first of its kind in Ireland. The second phase will also be complete this year will see a complete development and upgrade to the interiors in the main ground floor areas including a full revamp and redesign to the bar, restaurant, residents bar incorporating a new hotel snug plus a newly located reception area to welcome guests on arrival.
The hotel has commenced an immediate recruitment drive to add to its existing 100 staff, most of whom live locally in the Clane area, and management are very enthusiastic that it is the perfect time to join their team as the hotel evolves into its next new phase. Hotel management have seen a strong bounce in business to date in recent months and Q1 has seen a high demand for especially weddings with recent government decisions lifting restrictions giving potential wedding couples the confidence to book for 2023 & 2024. Whilst corporate business is a little slower to return there is plenty of optimism as bookings have begun to pick up for corporate meetings and events from the start of February and certainly this is expected to accelerate as the country settles back to the new normal.
CEO for the Westgrove Hotel Patrick Fadden said “The Westgrove Hotel is one of the most connected hospitality locations in the country and we feel that when we showcase this amazing new upgrade to the hotel it will become one of the most sought after venues in Kildare and the surrounding region. We are so fortunate and well placed to have Tayto Park, Dublin Zoo, Kildare Village, Donadea Forest Park as well as the Curragh and Punchestown racecourses on our doorstep. As the restrictions are lifted and the country reopens we see a readjustment between now and early summer in corporate business as people return to the office and we see and we expect that sector to be fully up and running by the third and fourth quarters of this year with full return meeting and events as well as conference and seminars which have been missed for the last two years. We fully expect to further develop on our domestic leisure and corporate market which makes up 80% of our current business and we’ll then aim to grow our UK visitors as well as increase focus on the US and mainland Europe markets.
“Despite the impact of Covid, we actually had a very positive summer in 2021 from a family breaks viewpoint and we hope this will continue into this year, where we see many planning short staycation and weekend breaks to catch up with friends and family. Our fabulous connectivity close to Dublin and between the M4-M6 and M7 motorways which now has the new Junction 9a giving direct access to Clane is attractive to many. We’ve also been most fortunate during the recent Covid challenges with the major construction projects in the Naas area and Newbridge areas as well as the huge Intel and Amazon developments, which have seen us facilitate the employees of many construction and contracted companies working on these sites. “
