Plans submitted for extensive redevelopment of Hilton Hotel site
Plans for the property, which will be called The Kingfisher Country Estate and adopt Hilton’s premier DoubleTree brand, include an additional 60 hotel suites, 44 lodges and 44 apartments on the site.
Paddy Kearney’s hospitality subsidiary Loughview Leisure bought the Co Antrim resort, which includes a 220-acre golf course and estate, in August 2021.
Kilmona intends to investment £10million in the venture, with the new Kingfisher Country Estate expected to be unveiled in September, with refurbishment of the existing 129 guestrooms already underway.
Long term plans include an extension to the existing hotel building , two new apartment blocks, a new function room, rooftop spa, conservatory extension and the addition of shepherds huts/log cabins.
Lougview Leisure’s hotel portfolio includes Ten Square in Belfast, Chimney Corner Hotel in Mallusk and the Loughshore Hotel in Carrickfergus.
The group saw turnover badly hit in the pandemic, falling from £8.3m to just £1.6m in the 12 months to June 30 2021.
It has since entered into a government contract to lease the Loughshore and Chimney Corner for asylum seekers, “which has resulted in 100 per cent occupancy” for the rest of 2022.
Kilmona has also unveiled plans for a new hotel on Belfast’ss Chichester Street.
A planning application has been filed for a 146-bed hotel on the upper floors of 69-87 Chichester Street.
The ground entrance of Centre House includes a Centra store and the popular Granny Annies Kitchen bar, with plans submitted for a new build on the same site to accommodate a further 17 bedrooms.
