FORE
GOLFERS: The Mount Juliet Conrad
golf resort near Thomastown, County Kilkenny two-time host of the American Express World Golf
Championships crafted a Follow in the
Footsteps of Champions package in honor of recent celebrity
visitors such as Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. The package
priced from $732 per person for a mid-week
stay includes two nights' accommodation; one dinner; one
round each on the championship golf course and 18-hole putting
course; unlimited driving range access; a half day of fishing; and
a "golfer's tension" massage in the spa. For more, visit www.conradhotels.com or call (011) 353-56 777-3000.
THE
TOPS: The Merrion Hotel in
Dublin was voted tops in quality out of 400 Leading Hotels of the
World member properties at the chain's third annual Commitment to
Quality Awards ceremony. The 145-room hotel created from four 18th century Georgian townhouses in
1997 also won the chain's Leading Hotel
of the World award for the Europe market. Winners are properties
that receive the highest scores during their most recent anonymous
inspection. The merrion is also home to Tethra, the first hotel spa
in Dublin, and two-star Michelin restaurant Patrick Guibaud. For
information and reservations, contact The Merrion direct
at (011)
353-1-603-0600 or via e-mail at [email protected]. Or visit http://www.merrionhotel.com/ or www.lhw.com online.
UP IN THE
AER: Aer Lingus will launch four
European routes out of Dublin as of March, to Hamburg, Germany;
Marseille, France; Naples, Italy and Seville, Spain, increasing the
number of onward options available via Ireland. The additional
flights bring the total of new services introduced since 2001 to
42, more than tripling the size of the airline's network. According
to chief operations officer Seamus Kearney, the airline
which slashed fares
earlier this year now gets 60% of
bookings via the Internet. For more information, go to www.aerlingus.com.
CHOICEIN
CORK: Clarion Hotels is
expanding in Ireland to the tune of some $52 million, developing a
new 4-star property in Cork to open by the end of this year, just
in time for the city's role as European Capital of Culture in 2005.
Clarion Hotels is the contemporary premium brand of Choice Hotels
Ireland; the 193-bedroom Clarion Hotel Cork property joins two
other existing Clarion hotels in Limerick and Dublin's
International Financial Services Centre. The hotel is located in
Lapp's Quay, across the River Lee's south channel from Cork's city
hall, and is part of a major office and hotel/leisure center
project. Facilities also include meetings and function rooms, a
health spa/club, parking, a restaurant and a bar. For more
information, visit www.choicehotelseurope.com/ireland.
CORK
PORK: In other Cork news, the
Irish government upped the ante for Cork's run as E.U. cultural
capital, adding some $2 million in new funds for event and
attractions development. The new monies bring the total government
investment to about $11 million, said tourism minister John
O'Donoghue. For more on Cork 2005, visit www.cork2005.ie.