New “Harcourt Collection” Book Celebrates 40 Years of Harcourt Hotels
and One Man’s Passion for Hospitality
Created by Pat Doherty OBE, the book celebrates the five hotels Pat has put on the map over his 40 years in the hospitality industry.
The Harcourt Collection book is available free of charge to guests staying at a Harcourt Collection hotel or available on request in person at any member hotel.
Celebrating 40 Years of Harcourt Hotels and one man’s passion for hospitality, the Harcourt Collection, a new book published by Irish based Harcourt Developments, brings together for the first time under a single brand the five unique properties owned and operated by the group.
The Harcourt Collection currently includes a series of spectacular four and five-star hotels, taking in Titanic Hotel Belfast, Titanic Hotel Liverpool, Lough Eske Castle and Redcastle Oceanfront Golf and Spa Hotel both in Co. Donegal, and Carlisle Bay in Antigua.
Fairytale turrets, windswept coastlines, rugged terrain, golden beaches, sleek urban locales and a maritime legend: the hand-picked collection of retreats is the curated vision of one man, Pat Doherty OBE. With a keen eye for potential, harnessing the special attributes of properties and landscapes, Donegal-born founder Pat has forged a unique collection of hotels with excitingly diverse identities, united by a single underlying culture.
Set across four countries and two continents, the five hotels in the Harcourt Collection are characterised by their extraordinary architecture, distinct sense of place and dazzlingly diverse heritage, each of which is celebrated in the book.
The Harcourt Collection began in 1986, when Pat spotted the potential of a dilapidated 15 room hotel, located on the shore of Lough Foyle, in the Inishowen Peninsula, Donegal. A period of renovation and expansion turned the Redcastle Oceanfront Golf and Spa Hotel into a Donegal landmark, offering 94 rooms and luxury suites, with spa, golf course, and award-winning restaurant.
Pat’s attention was then drawn to Lough Eske Castle, the 15th-century bastion of the O’Donnell’s, which burnt down in 1939. The crumbling ruins, with trees poking through the roof, did not obscure Pat’s vision of castellated luxury and stunning grounds, as Donegal’s only 5-star hotel took shape.
A visit to Antigua and an old hurricane-wrecked country club were the catalysts that brought Carlisle Bay into the Harcourt Collection, a bare-foot luxury beach resort, complete with private bays and sugar-white sand. In contrast the next two additions were to become urban landmarks in their respective locations, both connected to the legendary RMS Titanic; Titanic Hotel Liverpool and Titanic Hotel Belfast.
“Tapping into potential, looking beyond the obvious and trusting my gut instincts have always served me well,” says Pat Doherty, with a deceptively unassuming manner, who now in his eighties has been painted twice by artist Lucian Freud.
“People might say that certain ventures would never work, or that I’d be mad to take something on, but we’re unusual in that way. We trusted our instincts and went ahead anyway. After all, nothing happens unless you make it happen.”
Produced by Harcourt Developments Group Creative Director, John Paul Doherty, with photography by Chris Heaney, Patryk Sadowski and Bladesman, and contributions from leading journalists Janice Morley and Emma Wells, the Harcourt Collection book is both informative and beautifully put together with outstanding images throughout.
Each leading chapter provides a location overview, highlighting natural and man-made wonders, inspiring readers to explore and enticing them to experience first-hand the warm hospitality and unique history of each Harcourt Collection hotel:
- Ireland’s northernmost county, and the start of the Wild Atlantic Way, Donegal and the Inishowen Peninsula are the setting for Redcastle Oceanfront Golf and Spa Hotel and Lough Eske Castle near Donegal town.
- Belfast, with its world-famous shipyards, offers living history in the shape of the Titanic Hotel Belfast, located in the former Harland & Wolff offices.
- Contemporary connections to music, football, and cinema, coupled with architectural and shipping legacies, Liverpool is home to the Titanic Hotel Liverpool. Located in a Victorian rum warehouse, in the heart of the historic docks, between one of the world’s newest stadiums (Hill Dickinson Stadium – AKA Everton Stadium) and the world’s largest brick-built warehouse, delivering urban cool.
- The ultimate fantasy island, where the Atlantic meets the Caribbean, and there is a different beach for every day of the year, Antigua. Barefoot-luxury and rainforest adventure, Harcourt Collection’s luxurious Carlisle Bay is perfect for relaxation and recreation.
The Harcourt Collection book is available free of charge to guests staying at a Harcourt Collection hotel or available on request in person at any member hotel.
