Dr Stanley Quek, who studied medicine at Trinity College Dublin, and Peng Loh, an Irish-born hotelier, completed the deal shortly before Christmas and are expected to significantly upgrade the four-star establishment, which slipped into the red last yea.

It is believed they paid between €15 million and €20 million for the Prem Group property as they amass a portfolio of prestigious Irish hotels which could yet stretch across the border.

In September, following the acquisition of Ring of Kerry golf course, Quek said that he and Loh intended to expand their interests and were focused on resorts near Dublin and on the west coast.

The Singaporean investors also own the Trinity Townhouse in Dublin and Library Street restaurant, led by Kevin Burke, the former head chef of Michelin-starred The Ninth London.

During the pandemic Prem Group made use of state support measures that allowed it to claim €1.6 million in government grants for Tulfarris in 2021 and nearly €700,000 in 2020.

Prem Group, which owns, leases and manages 32 properties in Ireland, Britain, Belgium and the Netherlands, is now controlled by the US alternative asset manager Fortress Investment Group, which snapped up a majority stake in the organisation at the end of last year.

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The £16.5m Dunluce Lodge will boast 35 rooms and will be the sixth five-star hotel in Northern Ireland, creating 80 jobs when complete.

The company behind the development, the Links Collection, was co-founded by Texans Jonathan Harper and Robert Covington with a mission “to bring the greatest hospitality experiences to the premier golf courses on earth”.

A team from Maxwell and Company, Inverness, are behind the design while Valor Hospitality Partners will manage the Lodge.

Royal Portrush’s former manager Wilma Eskine, who was in charge of the club when the 2019 Open was brought there, was recently appointed as a brand ambassador for Valor and the build will now be complete in time for the championship’s return in 2025.

Mr Harper and Mr Covington said: “We experienced and love links golf in Ireland and particularly Portrush. Although initially viewed as a family home, we soon realised that the nine-acres would be the perfect site for a golf lodge.

“We are excited that others will have the opportunity to enjoy the same experience we did, and we can give something back to a local community that has been so supportive.’

Links Collection also includes Scores Hotel and Dunvegan Hotel in St Andrews.

“Owners, investors, Valor and the local business community will collaborate to develop this world class lodge. We expect that as many as 80 local jobs created.”

Construction is being carried out by Ballymena construction company Martin & Hamilton, which has worked on heritage projects such as Belfast’s Albert Memorial Clock.

Director David A Hamilton said: “We employ local tradesmen who take great pride in their craft and deliver a finished product which realises the designer’s vision for Dunluce Lodge.

“We have also planned a recruitment event as a forum for discussions between our construction manager and the local supply chain.”

Lead architect James Maxwell of Maxwell and Company, Inverness, said: “The Lodge will provide the hub of the development, evocative of the original house and closest to the golf course, behind which will sit a courtyard and two-storey accommodation which enables good integration with the land’s contours.”

The project won planning permission in June 2021,

After the original plans were rejected in 2018 on the back of “community feedback”, North Coast Ventures Limited said it accepted its proposals “were not appropriate”, adding: “We have listened to the local community and the feedback we have received during the consultation process.

“We still firmly believe that the north coast is an area which needs higher quality accommodation and a greater number of hotel rooms.”

Letters of support for the new application were received from the Ireland Golf Tour Operator Association, Bushmills Trust, DUP MPs — Ian Paisley and Gregory Campbell and 2011 Open champion Darren Clarke.

He said: “There is a great need for five-star accommodation in the area to satisfy the requirements of the high-end US golfers, who at present often return to Belfast rather than staying in the north Coast .”

The 2019 staging of the championship on the club’s Dunluce Links was one of the most successful Opens on record and even boasted a home winner in Offaly’s Shane Lowry.

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The privately owned St Andrews property was acquired by Bernard Eastwood’s firm from the McLachlan family on October 24 for an undisclosed sum.

The purchase follows the acquisition of one of Northern Irelands best loved hotels, The Bushmills Inn, earlier this year by the grandson of the late boxing promoter Barney Eastwood,, making this the second property in the Marram Hotels portfolio.

Set the heart of the home of golf, close neighbours include the renowned University of St Andrews and world-famous Old Course. The group plans to operate the three-star rated Ardgowan Hotel in its current form, with the existing team in situ.

Kathryn Robinson, Investment Director at Wirefox, said: “As an iconic golfing hotel, it’s a great time for us to be adding the Ardgowan Hotel to our growing portfolio, with all indicators pointing towards a bumper year for golf enthusiasts off the back of The Open.

“Welcoming the current staff to Wirefox’s extended team, while continuing to trade, will allow us to gain a deeper understanding of the business and continue to provide the much-loved service guests have become accustomed to. We’re grateful that the McLachlan family have agreed to work with us to ensure a smooth transition and we look forward to acting as custodian in the months and years ahead.”

Housed in a B-listed Georgian townhouse, designed by Scottish architect George Rae, the hotel comprises of 29 comfortable en suite bedrooms, with a further seven en suite rooms in a section of the property dating back to 1820. The hotel’s Playfair’s Restaurant and Steakhouse enjoys an excellent reputation, having been awarded an AA Rosette every year since 2015, alongside the hotel’s increasingly popular bar and outdoor terrace.

Welcoming confirmation of the sale, Roy McLachlan, Managing Director of The Ardgowan Hotel, said: “It’s a pleasure to be handing over the operation and ownership of the Hotel to such a professional group. The Hotel has enjoyed many years of excellent performance due to its wonderful staff and I am convinced that both the staff and the Hotel will enjoy a very bright future.”

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It will be the largest capital injection at the Co Fermanagh resort since it came under the management of US-based TRU Hotels and Resorts in 2015.

The US owners said the latest investment shows their long-term commitment to the luxury resort and its two golf courses.

It will begin with the creation of a new wedding pavilion in October.

The news of the long-planned investment comes just weeks after the PGA EuroPro Tour announced that its Tour Finale will be taking place at Lough Erne from 19-21 October, with competitors on the tour taking on resort’s renowned Faldo Course, designed by six-time major Sir Nick Faldo.

General manager Joanne Walsh said: “Lough Erne Resort is an incredible property. This investment will see the resort transformed. Our old-world interiors are set for a makeover that aligns with the beauty of our countryside setting and the pursuits which we offer on Lough Erne.”

Lough Erne marketing director Jonathan Gallagher added: “We are set to elevate the Lough Erne Resort brand and interiors in a way that connects the physical to the experiential. Our people and place will be revitalised to create a luxury destination that connects mind, body and soul in the countryside.”

Lough Erne Resort first opened in 2007 and features two championship golf courses as well as a Thai Spa and three restaurants, one of which is the 3AA Rosette Catalina. The resort was acquired in 2015 by Lough Shore Road Ltd, in a joint venture of US-based Advantage Capital Holdings and TRU Hotels and Resorts, which also serve as the resort’s operators.

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Chicago-based Adventurous Journeys (AJ) Capital Partners purchased the 180-bedroom hotel from Hastings Group last year for £40m.

The Newcastle venue now operates under its Marine & Lawn Hotels & Resorts brand, which can also been seen at three hotel complexes at golf courses in Scotland, including its MacDonald Rusacks hotel at St Andrews.

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