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One of Ireland’s most exclusive hotels hopes that a long-standing conflict between its postal address and its actual location will help it keep its doors open for the next three weeks, without sparking a turf war between rival counties.
When it comes to the real estate market, everyone knows it’s all about location, location, location, but in the midst of a global pandemic, with travel restrictions that mean people can’t even cross county lines, a hotel location it can suddenly and unexpectedly assume an importance that once would have been unimaginable.
Since it first opened its doors to guests, Ashford Castle’s mailing address has been Cong, Co Mayo.
However, due to the way the county lines were drawn, the Cong River was used as a dividing line. the castle is actually located in Co Galway, while much of its extensive grounds, its tea rooms, and the Lodge at Ashford Castle accommodation are all in May.
It is also impossible to drive to the castle, in Galway, without going through Co Mayo.
Ashford Castle.
Until midnight Tuesday, this was of little consequence to anyone except locals eager to brag about the historic hotel, but then, in a flash, it started to matter much more.
Ashford Castle General Manager Niall Rochford explained to The Irish Times that when he heard the entire country was moving towards Level 3 of the Living With Covid-19 plan on Monday night, his first instinct was to shut down for time. .
“But then I heard Tánaiste Leo Varadkar on television that night saying that the reason it was Level 3 and not higher was to protect local businesses. So, with the livelihoods of more than 400 employees at stake, I said, ‘Let’s stay open and see if it works.’
With that decision, the actual location of the hotel came into focus clearly.
Ashford Castle.
Could the hotel welcome guests from May or could it encourage people from a more populated Galway to cross something off their wish list when making a reservation?
“The hotel is in Galway and I know when I posted that on Twitter last night, there were a lot of angry people in May. These are people who have always had a very strong connection to Ashford and that emotional bond was very evident. But we have always paid our fees to the Galway County Council for the Castle and we pay our fees for the Lodge to the Mayo County Council. “
So it was and open and close the case. Or maybe a case of opening and not closing.
Rochford also noted that guests coming from Galway City, Tuam or Oranmore or anywhere else in the county in the next few days “will have to drive through May to get here,” but with the attention to detail you might expect from a Running a five-star hotel for over a decade, he made sure everything was in order first.
He checked with local authorities, tourism authorities and local politicians before using social media to announce that the castle will remain open for Galway guests, while the Lodge will remain open for May guests.
The Lodge at Ashford Castle.
“The people of Galway will be able to come stay at the Castle for the next three weeks, but they will not be able to get out of their cars when they pass through May,” he said.
He noted that, like any other hotel in the country, the last few weeks, since improved restrictions were put in place in Dublin, have been a huge challenge for Ashford, but said the hotel generated “more revenue from local people in a single day yesterday. than us in total in the previous three weeks. “
While the hotel will never be full for the next few days, Rochford is hopeful that the local Galway business will be enough to keep doors open and staff employed until restrictions are lifted and people across the country can travel freely . again.
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