The World Travel Awards has announced the leading Irish hotels with the five-star Powerscourt Hotel Resort & Spa crowned the country's best.
The awards, known as 'the Oscars of the travel industry', are decided by an open-vote and have been running for the past 23 years.
Powerscourt Hotel faced competition from the Conrad Dublin, Dromoland Castle, the InterContinental Dublin, The Clarence and The Westin to win the title of Ireland's leading hotel, taking the mantle from 2015 winner Adare Manor Hotel & Golf Resort.
The 194-bedroom seven-storey hotel, which was also recently named AA Hotel of the Year in 2015/16, has two championship golf courses, a 30,000 square-foot luxury spa, a fine-dining restaurant and its own traditional Irish pub, reports the Irish Independent.
"We are exceptionally pleased and indeed proud to be voted Ireland’s Leading Hotel 2016 at the prestigious awards," said Powerscourt Hotel general manager Ian Wynne.
Other winners included the five-star Dromoland Castle as Ireland's Leading Boutique Hotel,beating the previous year's winner The G Hotel & Spa, and The Shelbourne Hotel, winning the title of Leading Business Hotel, which had been held by the Hilton Dublin for the past three years. The Westbury Hotel's Presidential Suite was named the Leading Hotel suite, the Conrad Dublin won Ireland's Leading Luxury Hotel for the second year running, and Cork's Inchydoney Island Lodge was crowned the Leading Spa Resort.
The big winners at the ceremony were Ciragan Palace Kempinski Istanbul for Leading Hotel in Europe and the Titanic Belfast as 'Europe's Leading Tourist Attraction', which will compete at the Grand Final Gala Ceremony in December.
