The Club Hotel at Goffs has moved to the global IHG franchise, giving it access to millions of potential customers around the world.
Opened by hoteliers Ray Byrne and Eoin Doyle two years ago at the bloodstock auctioneer’s base in Johnstown, Co Kildare, the Club has taken on IHG’s Voco brand.
The property this week joined IHG’s distribution network, making it an option for the franchise’s 145 million customers globally.
Confirming details of the move, Joanna Kurowska, managing director, UK and Ireland, IHG Hotels and Resorts, said the group managed digital distribution for independent hotels such as the Club that are part of its franchise.
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Networks such as IHG’s are better placed than smaller businesses to manage large-scale online distribution, and to react to changes in technology and the market, according to Ms Kurowska.
“So you give your inventory to us and we do the distribution for you,” she said.
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The hotel has been renamed Voco The Club Dublin Gateway, aiming to cash in on its closeness to the capital, along with its location on a key route out of the city in the thoroughbred county.
Mr Byrne dubbed the brand a “great fit” for the business he and Mr Doyle have developed.
“It will open our small independent business up to a huge channel of tens of millions of IHG customers around the world,” he predicted.
IHG is eyeing other opportunities in Ireland, according to Ms Kurowska, who said the group is interested in locations in the south, including Cork and Limerick.
The group already has the Intercontinental, Holiday Inn Express and Ruby Molly in Dublin city centre on its books, along with several properties at Dublin Airport.
In Belfast, it has the Voco, three Holiday Inn Express hotels and the Crowne Plaza.
IHG believes that Ireland is an attractive market, according to Ms Kurowska, who says its existing businesses here are performing well.
Voco is one of the group’s “premium collection” brands, along with Crowne Plaza. IHG has about 6,600 hotels operating under its umbrella.
As of March 2025, Voco had 94 hotels (with 21,237 rooms between them) open around the world, with another 95 in the pipeline.
Ms Kurowska noted that hotels have to reach specific standards in quality, service and decor to join IHG’s brands.
The properties remain under their own ownership and management following their move to the IHG network.
