Knightsbrook Hotel Spa and Golf Resort in Trim, Co Meath goes on sale from today at a guide price of €18 million. The resort includes a four-star hotel, large-scale conference and banqueting facilities, spa, health club and a golf course.
Niamh Walsh of agents Cushman & Wakefield is handling the sale on behalf of the Cusack house-building family, which owns a second hotel in Trim (Castle Arch), and two more in Navan ( the Ardboyne and Newgrange).
Knightsbrook was developed in 2006 and is by far the most profitable in the hotel chain, with 131 guest bedrooms, 28 three-bedroom self-catering units, a conference centre catering for 1,100 delegates, banqueting facilities for another 400 patrons, on-site parking for more than 500 cars, and an 18-hole golf course with a growing membership and a constant stream of visiting golfers.
Trim’s close proximity to Dublin – it is little more than 30 minutes’ drive from the city – has helped Knightsbrook to become one of the most popular and successful resorts in the greater Dublin area.
Wedding destination
The conference business is continuously growing, along with the number of wedding receptions, which topped 140 in 2016. Bedroom occupancy averaged about 70 per cent for much of last year.
In addition to the main reception rooms, there is range of restaurants and bars, including the Rococco Restaurant, the Terrace Lounge, Swifts Bar and Gullivars Bar for formal and informal dining options.
The well-equipped spa and health club includes an 18m swimming pool, gym, sauna, steam room, jacuzzi, exercise studio and treatment rooms.
To complete the picture – and provide an essential 18-hole golf course – the Cusack management enlisted the support of a neighbouring family by taking a 99-year lease of their 168-acre farm.
Prime position
The arrangement has worked well for both parties and the current rent of €149,500 is subject to five-yearly reviews based on the Consumer Price Index.
The highly rated course was designed by former Ryder Cup legend, the late Christy O’Connor jnr.
Niamh Walsh has benefitted from increased corporate tourism. With more confidence in the market, companies are again holding team-building events, networking promotions, seminars and various conferences.
Knightsbrook is in a prime position to facilitate the market, she said, because it has some of the best conference and leisure facilities available.
Ms Walsh expects interest in Knightsbrook from both domestic and international investors.
The only disappointing feature is the resort’s main entrance, which runs through part of a housing estate before opening into the hotel grounds.
