Co. Donegal's Shandon Hotel & Spa has announced the creation of 40 new jobs as a result of a €2 million expansion plan.
Located along the Wild Atlantic Way at Marble Hill Beach, the four-star venue re-opened in 2016 after being shut down during the crash and has since increased its room stock to 68, reports The Irish Independent.
Commenting on the hotel's current performance, manager Carolynne Harrison said, "There is little doubt that the marketing of Donegal in the UK and the USA is paying huge dividends for us. We had occupancy rates in the spring of over 90% and that has continued. The additional 18 rooms will help us meet the increasing demand through this summer."
Donegal Tourism
Harrison continued, "I believe this is going to be Donegal's best year for tourism and it is hugely significant for rural parts of the county like here at Marble Hill and what that does for the local economy.
"We are amazed at the increasing number of visitors from the UK and North America in particular, and we are also seeing increasing numbers from the rest of the Republic, particularly from Dublin and Leinster generally.
"The retention of the 9% VAT rate was very important for the hospitality sector in rural Ireland. Communities like ours benefit from the extra tourists and of course from the extra jobs.
"We were limited in our expansion in terms of where we could add the new rooms, so a few of them don't have sea views and have a lower price to reflect that, but reaction from our first customers has been very, very positive as there are plenty of places in the hotel from the bar to the spa to the public lounge to take in the views."
© 2018 Hospitality Ireland – your source for the latest industry news. Article by Dave Simpson. Click subscribe to sign up for the Hospitality Ireland print edition.
