LATEST: €2m upgrade to Kildare hotel will create 50 new jobs

The Westgrove Hotel in Clane has announced a €2m upgrade which is expected to create an extra 50 jobs this summer.
The four-star hotel, which opened in 2006, said it will upgrade its meeting and event spaces as well as its bedroom suites.
The commercial face-lift will include a new luxury Bridal Dressing Room and Salon which the hotel says will be one of the first of its kind in Ireland.

A second refurbishment phase later this year will see a complete upgrade to the interiors in the main ground floor areas including a full redesign to the bar and restaurant.
A renovation of the residents’ bar will incorporate a new hotel snug plus a newly located reception area to welcome guests on arrival.

The work will be carried out by 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.
The hotel has just begun a recruitment drive to add to its existing 100 staff.
The hotel said it has seen a strong bounce in business in recent months and the start of 2022 has seen a high demand for weddings with recent government decisions lifting restrictions giving potential wedding couples the confidence to book for 2023 and 2024.

CEO for the Westgrove Hotel, Patrick Fadden said: “Covid has been a roller coaster for the hotel during the last two years.
“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.
“We expect that sector to be fully up and running by the third and fourth quarters of this year with full return of meetings 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.
“We’ll then aim to grow our UK visitors as well as increase focus on the US and mainland Europe markets.”
Mr Fadden said the hotel had a very positive summer 2021 for family breaks despite the impact of Covid.
He added: “We see that continuing this year with many planning short staycation and weekend breaks to catch up with friends and family.
The hotel gained business in recent months from major construction projects in Naas and Newbridge as well as the Intel and Amazon developments in Leixlip and Baldonnel respectively.