Sheen Falls owners relaunch Townhouse after €3.5m upgrade

THE owners of the five-star Sheen Falls in Kenmare, Co Kerry, have relaunched Trinity Townhouse in Dublin after a €3.5m refurbishment.

Dr Stanley Quek and business partner Peng Loh, two Singaporean businessmen with Irish links, bought the Trinity Townhouse in 2016 for €7m before acquiring Sheen Falls in late 2018.

Located on South Frederick Street, the Dublin hotel is a 31-bedroom boutique hotel set in three listed Georgian buildings.

Seamus Crotty, group general manager, said the original plan was to keep both properties separate but there was an opportunity to market the Dublin property as “Sheen Falls’ townhouse in the city”.

“While they are very different properties, they can complement each other,” he said.

A large proportion of international visitors to Sheen Falls come via Dublin, particularly those coming from the US, which account for 40pc of guests at the Kenmare hotel.

A phased refurbishment of Trinity Townhouse has upgraded the property to add modern conveniences such as wifi and smart TVs.

Regarding the impact of Covid-19, Crotty said that the domestic market is core to Sheen Falls’ business.

He said that on February 1, this year was shaping up to be the hotel’s best year on record but it lost €1.2m in cancellations. In July, occupancy is expected to be around 50pc.

Occupancy in Dublin is more challenging, in line with research from the Irish Hotels Federation.