Hayfield Manor parent sees profits jump 21% to over €5m

Scally family-owned luxury hotel group reports strong post-Covid demand and Government support for the sector

The Kerry-based hotel group that operates the five-star Hayfield Manor in Cork city last year enjoyed a post-Covid-19 lockdown bounce as pretax profit jumped 21 per cent to €5.03 million.

Accounts filed by Tripoint Investments Ltd show revenues more than doubled to €23.23 million from €9.9 million in the 16 months to the end of April 2022. The earlier figure was for a 12-month period.

The business is owned by the Scally family, and accounts also include the performance of the family’s four-star Killarney Royal hotel and the Great Southern Hotel in Killarney.

The directors said business performance “was strong due to demand for hotel breaks post-Covid lockdowns, but was also helped by Government supports for the hospitality sector during this period”.

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The revenue includes “other operating income” of €6.64 million, which comprises Government grants of that amount during the pandemic. This followed grants of €1.26 million under the same heading in the earlier 12-month period.

Numbers employed by the group increased from 223 to 295 as staff costs more than doubled from €4.29 million to €10.4 million.

The accounts disclose that a management charge of €3 million was paid to Halfpoint Investments in April 2022 when that Scally family vehicle became the ultimate parent company of the group. .

The pretax profit of €5.03 million takes account of non-cash depreciation costs of €1.72 million and interest costs of €273,623. The group recorded profits after tax of €3.88 million. .

Shareholder funds at year end stood at €44.4 million, including accumulated profits of €32.25 million. Cash on hand fell from €3.16 million to €160,669.

The amount paid to key management personnel – managers and members of the Scally family – amounted to €304,824.

On the economic risk facing the company, the directors, Joseph, Margaret and Mark Scally, state that the economic risk environment is uncertain post-Covid. They note the group is exposed to rising energy costs, as with others in the sector, and is looking at renewable solutions to manage it going forward.

Gordon Deegan

Gordon Deegan

Gordon Deegan is a contributor to The Irish Times