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Old Inn Crawfordsburn Set To Open £2.5m Spa
EyeonNews
The Old Inn Crawfordsburn Set To Open £2.5 Million Spa
Luxury historic hotel The Old Inn, Crawfordsburn, has confirmed it will open a new outdoor spa offering exclusively for residents from 1 December following a £2.5 million investment to bring Galgorm’s renowned world-class hospitality and spa offering to the historic property.
Perched above Crawfordsburn Country Park, the new Treetop Spa at The Old Inn offers guests unrivalled forest views stretching out to the North Down coastline and will see the addition of a range of new experiences including a hydrotherapy pool, steam room, sauna, hot tubs and relax space set within its tranquil grounds, offering residents an enhanced hospitality experience.
Occupying a prominent 1.5-acre site in the heart of Crawfordsburn village - just 20 minutes from Belfast – the iconic thatched-roof property is one of the UK and Ireland’s top hotels. With a rich history dating back to 1614 The Old Inn is primed for a new chapter of growth with Galgorm Collection at its helm.
Since acquiring the property in April last year, Galgorm Collection, which owns the world-renowned Galgorm and a number of other properties across Belfast and Antrim, has already invested more than £1 million in refurbishing the property to its exacting, first-class standards.
This has included revamping its cosy 1614 bar and refurbishing its 120-seater Old Inn restaurant which offers diners a brand new menu that marries homely classics with modern dining, featuring Frenchinspired dishes, seafood and salads.
Galgorm Collection is also upgrading all 32 guestrooms as part of plans to revitalise and upgrade the historic destination, in line with other Collection properties.
Individually styled and luxuriously appointed, The Old Inn offers five room types - petite, carriage, highway, junior suite and suite – with some of its premier room offerings already refreshed.
The Old Inn Suite now boasts its own private balcony complete with outdoor hot tub overlooking the Treetop Spa whilst the first of its Junior Suites also completed a makeover to include bespoke finishing touches including a free-standing copper bath to complement the chic French-inspired furniture.
The property’s premier cottage accommodation set within the hotel’s grounds – and famed for being the honeymoon spot of world-famous local author C.S. Lewis – now comes complete with its own secluded outdoor hot tub for the ultimate tranquil forest bathing experience.
Plans to reimagine the hotel’s private dining space are also in progress, with refurbishment expected to be complete by early 2023.
Colin Johnston, Galgorm Collection Managing Director, said:
“The Old Inn is one of Northern Ireland’s most historic hotels and we have carefully considered our refurbishment works to ensure we remain sympathetic to the property’s history and retain its much-loved charm whilst also giving it the ‘Galgorm’ treatment, bringing this in line with our other award-winning properties.
After centuries of providing warm hospitality to guests and travellers, the time is right to further invest in this iconic property to expand its offering and widen its appeal to attract more local, national and international visitors.
Galgorm Collection is focused on investing in the region to support tourism, jobs and the wider economy. We’re confident that The Old Inn’s new-look offering will deliver a new chapter of growth for us and for Northern Ireland.” Since opening its doors last year under the guardianship of Galgorm Collection, The Old Inn has already received accreditations for excellence and was ranked #11 in the prestigious Irish Independent’s ‘Fab 50 Best Places to Stay’ in the island of Ireland.
Charlotte McClean, Manager at The Old Inn, commented:
“As we continue to progress our planned redevelopment works, I’m delighted to confirm that the new Treetop Spa will open to residents from 1 December. This has been a long-awaited project and we’re already experiencing strong demand for bookings with guests eager to enjoy an exciting new outdoor spa offering within a stunning landscape.
Located next to a breathtaking country park and picturesque coastline, The Old Inn is the perfect rural retreat for guests keen to relax and connect with nature. We’re also excited to welcome our wonderful neighbours, who are the lifeblood of the property, to enjoy a new-look offering, with new seasonal menus available in our restaurant and our cosy 1614 bar undergoing a refresh to also welcome dogs for the first time.
Galgorm is renowned for creating world-class hospitality experiences throughout its award-winning properties in Northern Ireland.
Most recently, Galgorm was named Ireland’s Best 4* Spa Experience at the Hotel & Catering Review Gold Medal Awards 2022 in recognition for its excellence in hospitality and also picked up a silver award for Ireland’s Best Four-Star Resort. The property also picked up two gongs for its hospitality offering at the 2022 Bar of the Year Awards.
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Original members of Titanic Hotel Belfast team celebrate Northern Ireland’s Leading Hotel’s fifth birthday. William McIlroy, Head Concierge; Dorota Niedziewicz, Housekeeper; Justin Stewart, Bartender; Helen Carse, Revenue Manager; Chris Flanagan, Maintenance Manager; Paul Dillon, Junior Sous Chef; Ciaran Poland, Front Office Manager and Courtney McLaughlin, Wedding & Events Manager. www.titanichotelbelfast.com
Titanic Hotel Belfast, named Northern Ireland’s Leading Hotel at the World Travel Awards every year since opening its doors in 2017, is celebrating its fifth birthday this month, and the longest serving staff member General Manager, Adrian McNally, is proud to have retained a quarter of the hotel’s original staff since day one.
Speaking about the multiaward winning hotel’s milestone birthday, Adrian said: “We have achieved incredible success despite the challenges the hospitality industry has faced in recent years. I am extremely proud of the team in delivering outstanding customer service and for working tirelessly to live up to Titanic Hotel Belfast’s leading hotel status every day. The fact that we have managed to retain 25% of the original workforce during some of the most challenging times for our industry in our lifetime is testament to the privilege of being part of the team at Titanic Hotel Belfast.
“I would also like to thank Harcourt Developments for their unwavering commitment to Titanic Hotel Belfast and for continuing to invest in our accommodation and public spaces, enabling us to provide visitors with a truly unique experience when visiting Titanic Quarter.”
There have been more than 174,000 guests waking up to a Titanic breakfast in the past five years and over 3,200 weddings and events hosted in the unique private heritage spaces including the surroundings of the Drawing Office where many of the world’s most famous ocean liners including RMS Titanic were designed.
Over 82,000 guests have attended events and weddings, while thousands more have enjoyed the hotel’s award-winning food and beverage outlets every month.
The concierge team has hosted more than 3,500 Heritage Tours giving visitors a flavour of the history of this unique hotel which includes Thomas Andrews original private office, the decadent Presentation Room, where Lord Pirrie showcased Harland & Wolff’s latest designs for transatlantic passenger liners, and Charles Payne’s office, Managing Director of Harland & Wolff during Titanic’s launch.
Even with three lockdowns during the first five years of trading, revenue at the hotel has increased significantly year on year, and the hotel is now operating with revenue 19% above pre-pandemic levels for overseas visitors, business events, meetings, weddings, dining and overnight accommodation.
Adrian added: “We are all too aware that a hotel stay can be viewed as an indulgence and we are putting measures in place to save on energy consumption and food waste to keep costs down. This will enable us to continue to compete in the marketplace with a focus and commitment to offer our guests an unforgettable experience at Titanic Hotel Belfast.”
John Paul Doherty, Creative Director at Harcourt Developments, said: “We are delighted to be celebrating the fifth birthday of Titanic Hotel Belfast, the jewel of the Maritime Mile. This historic and architecturally unique building was once the nerve centre of the largest shipyard in the world; a location steeped in history. The combined efforts of Harcourt Developments and the team at Titanic Hotel Belfast have created a unique hospitality experience – giving guests the chance to stay in one of the most historically important buildings in Northern Ireland; the very building where Titanic was designed and constructed just a few yards away. We feel we offer an emotionally rich and historically authentic experience unlike anything else in the world. The success of Titanic Hotel Belfast is due in multiple parts, not least from the wonderful service guests enjoy but also due to the curation of artworks and artefacts which are exhibited throughout the hotel. This includes the most recent addition in the Drawing Office Bar, of an original clock from SS Carpathia, the first ship to reach Titanic.”
