James Howley considers the merits of adapting the Irish Palladian mansion into a luxury hotel
The country house hotel offers a viable, alternative use for a great historic mansion, and one that is also very close to its original function. A number of small boutique hotels have been adapted in this way and provide a friendly welcoming atmosphere not unlike that found in Hidden Ireland properties. The real challenge comes with the larger and grander country house hotels that have a five-star brief and all the associated accoutrements such as golf courses, conference facilities and health spas. The economics of the 21st-century luxury hotel demand somewhere between 150 and 200 rooms, the majority of which will not fit within the walls of the historic house, irrespective of its size
