TWO HOTEL operators have entered talks with property developer and hotel owner Michael Daly in a bid to reopen the Castletroy Park Hotel in Limerick and potentially save 130 jobs.
Mr Daly said discussions were at a preliminary stage, but they were hopeful of reopening the hotel within months.
“We’ve had a good response from the operators and there’s a desire amongst operators to open as quickly as possible.”
The four-star, 107-room hotel closed its doors on Thursday after 18 years in business, citing “insurmountable trading difficulties” as the reason for closure.
The hotel was operated by Castletroy Park Management Ltd, a sister company of Irresistible Hotels Ltd, which surrendered its lease of the five-star Marriott hotel on Henry Street in Limerick just one week earlier.
The Fordmount Group, headed by Mr Daly, also owns the Marriott hotel, which opened last July, but said there was no threat of the hotel closing down.
“The priority at the moment is to ensure that the Castletroy Park Hotel opens as quickly as possible,” said Mr Daly, whose company is also seeking an operator for the Marriott hotel.
Grant Thornton Chartered Accountants on Henry Street has been nominated by the hotel directors as liquidator at the Castletroy Park Hotel.
Gearóid Costelloe, managing partner with the company, said he understood this was a particularly stressful time for couples who had booked their wedding receptions at the hotel.
Over 44 couples are said to have booked their wedding receptions at the hotel, with some saying their dream day has now turned into a nightmare.
Mr Costelloe said: “Anyone who has paid a deposit will receive notification in the post about the creditors’ meeting next week.
“A date is being finalised at the moment, and they will have the opportunity of attending the meeting and voting accordingly.”
He said he “can’t answer at the moment” if deposits would be returned as they must first examine the terms and conditions under which the deposits were paid.
Mr Daly also could not confirm whether such deposits could be refunded, but said he hoped to be in a position to make a statement on this at the end of the week.
Dr Edward Walsh, the founding president of the University of Limerick, which is in close proximity to the hotel, said the closure of the hotel would be of great loss to the community.