Developer Paddy McKillen jnr's Oakmount has acquired the four-star Glasson Country House Hotel & Golf Club in Athlone, Co Westmeath, for about €9 million.
The deal, which is understood to have been completed earlier this week, will see responsibility for the day-to-day running of the hotel and golf club pass from its original owners, the Reid family, to the hospitality wing of McKillen’s business, Press Up Entertainment.
Neither party was prepared to comment on the transaction when contacted by The Irish Times.
While Oakmount is understood to be exploring possibilities for further investment at Glasson, a source said there are no immediate plans for changes at the venue. It is understood that both the hotel and golf club will continue to trade as usual, and that all existing bookings for weddings and other functions will be honoured.
McKillen jnr’s acquisition of the 175-acre Westmeath hotel and golf resort represents Oakmount and Press Up Entertainment’s fourth venture beyond Dublin. Outside of its investment in Glasson, Oakmount is involved in the delivery of two hotels in Cork and Galway respectively, and the 250,000sq ft retail-led Florentine Centre in Bray, Co Wicklow.
Located in the townland of Glasson, and on the shore of Lough Ree, the Glasson Country House Hotel traces its origins back to 1993, when local farmer Tom Reid and his wife, Breda, decided to convert their 1780 period home into a club house, and establish Glasson Golf & Country Club on its surrounding lands and farmland.
Designed by the late Christy O’Connor jnr, the golf course proved to be a huge success with both the local and national golfing community, prompting the Reids to widen their ambitions to include the luxurious 65-bedroom hotel that operates today.
The onset of the recession in 2008 saw the Glasson Country House Hotel diversify its offering by specialising as a wedding venue.
Meanwhile, the golf club’s operations have been bolstered with the recent appointment of Lynn McCool as director of golf. Prior to her arrival at Glasson, McCool served as director of golf and head professional at the Lough Erne Resort in Co Fermanagh, and before that as golf teaching professional at the K Club in Co Kildare.
