www.travelnewswire.com Hilton International has today signed a contract to operate the five-star Mount Wolseley Country Estate in Ireland, to be known as The Mount Wolseley Hilton from 1 June, 2005. The golf and country club hotel, featuring the largest spa in the Hilton UK & Ireland portfolio, is Hilton's fifth hotel in Ireland and will operate as part of Hilton Worldwide Resorts. The 142-room Mount Wolseley is located in Tullow, County Carlow, 40 miles from Dublin. Set on the luxurious Wolseley Estate - the ancestral home of Frederick York Wolseley who designed and built the first British car in Birmingham in 1895 - the hotel is surrounded by a championship, 18-hole golf course designed by Christy O'Connor Jnr. and voted as one of the top 25 courses in Ireland. Originally opened in August 1996, the hotel unveiled a ?22 million extension in October 2004, with a further ?5 million having been recently spent on a holistic spa, featuring seven treatment rooms, chill-out pool, dry flotation, experience showers, sun therapy and Thalgo and Elemis products, and a 25-cover Zen restaurant. The spa will be branded as The Sensory, and will become part of the LivingWell Health Club, which also features a swimming pool, gymnasium, sauna, steam room and Jacuzzi. Further facilities include the contemporary Frederick's Restaurant, the Aaron Lounge, as well as conference facilities for up to 750 delegates and a range of function rooms suitable for meetings or events for 20 to 350 delegates. The estate also boasts sixteen holiday lodges, all with four bedrooms, which will become part of the Hilton International Grand Vacations Company, which currently operates four resorts in Scotland and Egypt, comprising 271 time-ownership units. The hotel is currently operated by the Morrissey Family, employing 150 full time and 50 part time staff. The Morrissey Family will retain ownership of the Resort. Wolfgang M. Neumann, Area President for Hilton UK & Ireland, said: "Mount Wolseley is a wonderful and exciting addition to the Hilton UK & Ireland portfolio and we are delighted to further expand our brand in Ireland. This five star country club is the first UK & Ireland Hilton Worldwide Resort , and it complements our golf and leisure offering in the region." Hilton International (HI), an operating division of the UK based Hilton Group plc, owns the rights to the Hilton brand name throughout the world, with the exception of the USA, where the Hilton brand is owned and managed by Hilton Hotels Corporation (HHC). Hilton International operates 403 hotels, with some 261 branded Hilton and 142 under the mid-market Scandic brand. Under a joint venture agreement, Hilton International and the North American based Hilton Hotels Corporation (HHC) share responsibility for the Conrad brand, which includes 17 hotels in 12 countries. A global marketing alliance between Hilton International and Hilton Hotels Corporation extends the number of hotels operated by both companies worldwide to over 2,700 over 500 of which are branded Hilton. Hilton Worldwide Resorts is an upscale, global resort network with a collection of 57 resorts, located in exotic places, making up the world's largest global choice. Currently, 36 resorts are operated by Hilton International including four all-inclusive Coral by Hilton resorts, 18 by Hilton Hotels Corporation and three by Conrad. Hilton International Grand Vacations Company presently operates four resorts in Scotland and Egypt, comprising 271 time-ownership units. Hilton International employs over 71,000 staff in 80 countries. Committed to doing business in a responsible way, Hilton International's aim is to bring a positive benefit to the societies in which it operates through high quality services, economic growth, environmental protection, community involvement and employment
|