PILLO HOTELS, an operating company led by former executives of Jurys Doyle and backed by Ion Equity, has been appointed to manage the Courtyard Marriott hotel in Galway City, which has been in receivership since May.
Pillo will operate the property on behalf of KPMG.
The Courtyard Marriott was part of Galway businessman John Sweeney’s diversified Black Shore Holdings group, which collapsed in the recession.
Pillo's director of operations Conal O'Neill informed The Irish Timesthat the property would be rebranded as the Pillo Hotel Galway immediately and retain its four-star status.
Situated within walking distance of Eyre Square, the Courtyard has 104 rooms, including two penthouse suites, and has dining, conference and spa facilities.
“This is a wonderful hotel with great potential, and we plan to develop it fully,” Mr O’Neill said.
Pillo is also in discussions to lease or manage other hotels in Ireland and the UK.
Ulric Kenny, director of Ion Equity, said his group planned to put “substantial investment” into Pillo “to provide solutions for hotel owners and banks within the challenged Irish hotel industry”.
Pillo was launched in 2008 to create a new chain of premium budget hotels in Ireland and Britain.
It acquired a site in Manchester, where it planned to build its first hotel. However, the global financial crisis resulted in it changing tack and seeking instead to win management contracts for distressed hotels.
