The Springfield Hotel in Leixlip, Co Kildare, has been acquired by leading Irish hotel operator Cliste Hospitality. The sale of the 58-bedroom property on behalf of the Hannigan family will see the hotel become a part of Cliste’s portfolio at the end of April. Cliste currently operates 11 hotels throughout Ireland, including the Tullamore Court Hotel, Muckross Park Hotel & Spa in Killarney and The Kilkenny Hibernian Hotel under its brand, the iNua Collection.
While the price paid for the Springfield Hotel has not been disclosed by the selling agent CBRE, The Irish Times understands from market sources that it achieved around €7 million or €120,689 per key. The sale of the hotel brings to an end the near 50-year ownership of the Hannigan family. All of the hotel’s existing employees will be continuing with the business.
The late Paddy Hannigan and his wife Marie purchased the then 10-bedroom property in 1973. Their family, Gerard, Deirdre and Thomas, have continued to develop the hotel to comprise its current complement of 58 guest bedrooms along with extensive dining and conference facilities.
The Anna Liffey Suite, the main conference suite, extends to 450sq m (4,844sq ft) and can accommodate 300 people theatre-style and 220 banquet-style. The hotel includes Season’s Restaurant with a capacity for 126 people, and Patrick’s Bar which is popular with both guests and locals.
The Springfield is well located within the greater Dublin area, with Dublin city centre just 18km away and Dublin Airport less than a 20-minute drive via the M4, M50 and M1 motorways. Leixlip itself has become an established commuter town on the Kildare-Dublin border with a population of over 20,000 people.
Commenting on his company’s acquisition of the Springfield Hotel, Sean O’Driscoll, co-founder and a director of Cliste Hospitality, said: “We are looking forward to becoming part of the community in Leixlip and continuing the proud legacy of the Hannigan family. There is a very experienced long-serving team at the hotel and Cliste Hospitality are looking forward to working with them to continue to deliver great service to the many loyal customers of the Springfield Hotel”.
John Hughes, director of CBRE’s hotels division, said: “The acquisition of Springfield Hotel Leixlip by one of Ireland’s leading hotel groups is a vote of confidence in the sector. The hotel benefits from a strong business base that includes the global Leixlip-based Intel and a long-established loyal customer base developed by the Hannigan family over many years. It will be business as usual for the Springfield Hotel when Cliste Hospitality takes over at the end of April.”
