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Valor Hospitality Partners has been appointed to manage The Dunluce Lodge, a new build 35-room, five-star luxury hotel and spa.
The hotel will be built overlooking the 4th fairway at Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland, with views of Portrush town, Donegal headlands and The Skerries.
The nine-acre site, which was originally privately owned, is due to open in 2023. The inspiration behind the plans for The Dunluce Lodge is to replicate the original house on the site and “sympathetically blend” into the landscape.
According to Valor, the development will be the “first of its kind” in the north coast region of Northern Ireland, with no other five-star hotel existing within a 60-mile radius. In light of this, Tourism NI, Causeway Coast and Glens Council are said to have welcomed the investment to the region.
The idea for the hotel was devised by the U.S. owners, Jonathan Harper and Robert Covington, who said they realised there was a “gap in the market” for a site in this location, with a site that could “fulfil serving international travellers, golfers and locals alike”.
Valor added that The Dunluce Lodge will bring “significant” economic benefit to Portrush and wider areas across Northern Ireland, with the owners and management looking to recruit a team of local professionals for the project. On completion, approximately 80 people will be employed.
Brian McCarthy, managing director of UK and Europe at Valor Hospitality, said: “We’re very excited about our plans for The Dunluce Lodge, not only for what it means for Valor’s growth, but also the opportunities it will bring to The Royal Portrush Golf Club and local area.
“With its five-star status, this resort will attract visitors from all over, and with our experience in managing luxury resorts around the globe, including golf projects in South Africa and in the U.S., we’re more than ready to apply our expertise to our first development in Northern Ireland.”
He added: “In 2021, Valor’s UK portfolio doubled in size, marking a real stake in the ground for our growth ambitions going forward. As we expand further, it’s particularly special to be working on a project such as this, where we have been involved since its inception and we’re looking forward to seeing the development progress.”
The Dunluce Lodge closely follows one of Valor Hospitality’s most recent management agreements, the Scores Hotel in St. Andrews, Scotland, in a move that further expanded the brand’s global portfolio.
