Irish hotel and spa bounces back from recession closure with €2m expansion

A hotel and spa in Donegal, Ireland has announced a €2 million (£1.8m) investment after it was forced to close during the global recession.

Two years after reopening in 2016, Shandon Hotel & Spa's expansion is estimated to bring with it 40 jobs including spa roles.

The investment will also see 18 new bedrooms added to the property on Marble Hill Beach outside Dunfanaghy.

After it went into receivership in 2011 during the recession, new owners purchased the property in 2015 and reopened it in 2016, when they increased the hotel’s number of rooms to 68 and recruited 55 new staff.

Manager Carolynne Harrison said that an increase in tourism in the area has created demand for extra accommodation at the hotel.

“We are amazed at the increasing number of visitors from the UK and north America in particular and we are also seeing increasing numbers from the rest of the Republic, particularly from Dublin and Leinster generally,” she said.

"We had occupancy rates in the spring of over 90% and that has continued.  The additional 18 rooms will help us meet the increasing demand through this summer."

The four-star hotel has a spa with eight treatment rooms and heat facilities including a salt grotto and Canadian hot tub.

Image: Instagram/@shandonhotelspa