By Mike Fitzgerald
Capacity at the Treacy’s Oakwood Hotel in Shannon is set for a significant increase, following the approval of conditional planning permission.
The seven conditions are yet to be published at the time of writing. Shannon Estuary Hotel Limited is seeking to expand the hotel’s second floor by adding 29 bedrooms, along with a 6-room expansion to the hotel’s first floor. The reason behind this substantial expansion is believed to be an effort to capitalize on the accommodation of coach tours.
The value of these tours is estimated at €2.6 million, according to a letter attached to the planning document by Abbey Group tour operators. The document states, “The proposal will result in an additional 35 rooms which will accommodate a coach tour of up to 50 people.”
Also included in the proposal are plans for an expanded car park to accommodate the increase in rooms at the hotel. The expansion will feature two additional bus parking spaces and 95 extra car parking spaces. These proposals are further explained in the letter by Abbey Group, which states that current business levels exceed the capacity of the Oakwood Hotel. Abbey Group suggests that with the addition of the extra rooms, they “would be in a position to book a lot more dates in the hotel.”
The regional importance of this expansion is emphasized in the document as well. Abbey Group refers to Fáilte Ireland figures for the Midwest region in 2022, showing “1,322,000 million trips to the region with an estimated spend of €261 million.” This expansion is expected to generate greater revenue for Shannon Estuary Hotel Limited, which recently filed accounts showing an increase in shareholder funds from €1.7 million to €2.5 million in 2024.
