Swan Acquired!

Gillie

Famed Kerry hotel group swoops for €30m Silver Swan

What has been described as ‘the best news for tourism in Sligo for many years’ was confirmed this morning when the famous Kerry-based Gleneagle Hotel Group announced that it is taking over the spectacular newly-built Silver Swan Hotel.

Wow! Still not sure why Ramada pulled out!

Full story in this weeks Champion.

JoeyJJ

Interesting to see how they will market the hotel and how they will fit it out. Chic interior and funky rooms would be the way to go, something different and modern.

takola

As far as I know, They pulled out because the car park floods. Could be wrong but it's what I've been hearing.

They've done the rooms up in either green or orange. You can see it from the street. Looks cool. Though the colours are a bit too much to be sleeping in I think.

bubthatub

Gillie wrote:

Wow! Still not sure why Ramada pulled out!

.

they pulled out because the basement flooded and the buliders/ contractors did not want to put the ramada sign up the way that it is on all the other ramada hotels in the world

magnumlady

I saw the sofa's being delivered, they were lime green and orange. It'd be like staying in a box of tic tacs!!

il gatto

I stayed in the Ramada Hotel in Drumshanbo a couple of years ago, and it was very nice. Lot's of dark wood and minimalist design. I've heard the one in Sligo looks like a stack of Fanta and 7-Up cans when the light hits it just right.

Sin scéal eile

Does anyone have a recent photo of the monstrosity (em... I mean hotel)?

I haven't been home in a while and it will be next July before I make it home again, the photos in the Sligo Champion don't really show much.

Gillie

takola wrote:

As far as I know, They pulled out because the car park floods. Could be wrong but it's what I've been hearing.

They've done the rooms up in either green or orange. You can see it from the street. Looks cool. Though the colours are a bit too much to be sleeping in I think.

I've heard that too.
But I also heard that they looked at the numbers (in terms of ppl visiting Sligo) and decided to pull out.

Anywho I like the building.

il gatto

It does look really cool from the outside alright.

takola

il gatto wrote:

It does look really cool from the outside alright.

You think so? :eek: I think it's horrible! It's like something you'd find in the middle of Dublin. It ruins the town imo.

il gatto

Proper cites have loads of modern architecture. If Sligo wants to be different from other market towns like Castlebar, Longford and Tuam, it needs to expand beyond the two/three story terraced shops with flaking paint on the upper floors. To each their own though. I wouldn't like to see the whole town redeveloped like that, but it's better than those utilitarian appartment blocks going up all over the rest of the town. When they start looking tatty, the town will be horrible.

Gillie

il gatto wrote:

Proper cites have loads of modern architecture. If Sligo wants to be different from other market towns like Castlebar, Longford and Tuam, it needs to expand beyond the two/three story terraced shops with flaking paint on the upper floors. To each their own though. I wouldn't like to see the whole town redeveloped like that, but it's better than those utilitarian appartment blocks going up all over the rest of the town. When they start looking tatty, the town will be horrible.

Well said. This place has fallen apart for years.
Bout time we (as in the town/gateway city) bettered ourselves.

I love the building.
They've done a nice job up there at Citygate as well. Redeveloped Connolly St. which was in very bad shape.

Madge

Gillie wrote:

They've done a nice job up there at Citygate as well. Redeveloped Connolly St. which was in very bad shape.

Its looking very well down there I have to say. There'll be 141 appartments and 14 retail units I think. It'll be a mini village!

peasant

Does anyone know, are they or are they building that 15 storey monstrosity that was mooted (and had planning permission granted) for the Carraroe roundabout.

The building fence is up for ages, but nothing's happening.

Personally I hope someone has come to their senses and given up on it.

sligobhoy67

il gatto wrote:

Proper cites have loads of modern architecture. If Sligo wants to be different from other market towns like Castlebar, Longford and Tuam, it needs to expand beyond the two/three story terraced shops with flaking paint on the upper floors. To each their own though. I wouldn't like to see the whole town redeveloped like that, but it's better than those utilitarian appartment blocks going up all over the rest of the town. When they start looking tatty, the town will be horrible.

well said!!!

Gillie

Thats the Queen Maeve hotel.
Not sure what's happening there. There was some opposition to it because it would block some ppl's views of Knocknera. Who knows.

Gillie

Went into the Glasshouse for a Drink last night.
Thought the hotel was Class!
I read recently that the Architect was inspired by a Ship that he saw docked somewhere.
Well when I was in the bar last night (2nd floor bar) I gotta say that it was kinda like being on the Deck of a ship. The river running by has a strange affect!

Anyway. The Swan Point development (13 storey apt. block behind the hotel) will be finished next year. It is supposed to have a lighthouse feature on the top to "finish" the overall design.

vesp

Gillie wrote:

I read recently that the Architect was inspired by a Ship that he saw docked somewhere.

No ship was even so ugly or out of scale as that monstrosity the Glasshouse. There is no space around the outside of it ; it even leans out over what was public space above the river, beside the bridge. It is too big, especially when compared to the scale of nearby buildings. As time passes and it gets shabby I think it will not age well.

JIZZLORD

if everyone thinks it's bad ye'll love then new one that's going ahead at carraroe. that is a monstrosity, it plans look like some ghastly soviet realism inspired mess.
The silver swan looks grand

vesp

I have to agree that Carraroe is the wrong location for a skyscraper monstrosity. Ever stand on the top of Knocknarea and survey the scenery below as mankind has done for thousands of years ? The vernacular relatively low rise development, much of it stone etc, in Sligo town was sort of natural....it being a river crossing and developed as a harbour etc. Then BANG in the last 3 or 4 years of this gaudy celtic tiger , so dependent on the gas guzzling automobile - we get miles and miles of ribbon development , tens of acres of concrete and tarmac, over the best of farming land which was between the quaint old village of Ballisodare and Sligo. It looks like Lucan or Santry now. In our age of plenty, in our age of 80 billion borrowed from European savers, future generations will not judge our vulgarity and lack of planning kindly. Our lack of planning is the common thread between the Swan hotel development, Carraroe, Ribbon development, being stuck for hours each day in traffic jams etc

nanook

vesp wrote:

I have to agree that Carraroe is the wrong location for a skyscraper monstrosity. Ever stand on the top of Knocknarea and survey the scenery below as mankind has done for thousands of years ? The vernacular relatively low rise development, much of it stone etc, in Sligo town was sort of natural....it being a river crossing and developed as a harbour etc. Then BANG in the last 3 or 4 years of this gaudy celtic tiger , so dependent on the gas guzzling automobile - we get miles and miles of ribbon development , tens of acres of concrete and tarmac, over the best of farming land which was between the quaint old village of Ballisodare and Sligo. It looks like Lucan or Santry now. In our age of plenty, in our age of 80 billion borrowed from European savers, future generations will not judge our vulgarity and lack of planning kindly. Our lack of planning is the common thread between the Swan hotel development, Carraroe, Ribbon development, being stuck for hours each day in traffic jams etc

If there was still the best boards quote, I would nominate this as it.

Nothing more to be said here

Gillie

vesp wrote:

I have to agree that Carraroe is the wrong location for a skyscraper monstrosity. Ever stand on the top of Knocknarea and survey the scenery below as mankind has done for thousands of years ? The vernacular relatively low rise development, much of it stone etc, in Sligo town was sort of natural....it being a river crossing and developed as a harbour etc. Then BANG in the last 3 or 4 years of this gaudy celtic tiger , so dependent on the gas guzzling automobile - we get miles and miles of ribbon development , tens of acres of concrete and tarmac, over the best of farming land which was between the quaint old village of Ballisodare and Sligo. It looks like Lucan or Santry now. In our age of plenty, in our age of 80 billion borrowed from European savers, future generations will not judge our vulgarity and lack of planning kindly. Our lack of planning is the common thread between the Swan hotel development, Carraroe, Ribbon development, being stuck for hours each day in traffic jams etc

:eek:
That is all!

il gatto

vesp wrote:

I have to agree that Carraroe is the wrong location for a skyscraper monstrosity. Ever stand on the top of Knocknarea and survey the scenery below as mankind has done for thousands of years ? The vernacular relatively low rise development, much of it stone etc, in Sligo town was sort of natural....it being a river crossing and developed as a harbour etc. Then BANG in the last 3 or 4 years of this gaudy celtic tiger , so dependent on the gas guzzling automobile - we get miles and miles of ribbon development , tens of acres of concrete and tarmac, over the best of farming land which was between the quaint old village of Ballisodare and Sligo. It looks like Lucan or Santry now. In our age of plenty, in our age of 80 billion borrowed from European savers, future generations will not judge our vulgarity and lack of planning kindly. Our lack of planning is the common thread between the Swan hotel development, Carraroe, Ribbon development, being stuck for hours each day in traffic jams etc

Unless we're all willing to live in an old world "Westh of Ireland" theme park, we have to accept certain changes. The architecture of the Glasshouse may not be to everyones liking (I like it), but a piece of modernist design, which replaced an excessily ugly rectangular building from the sixties is a far lesser crime by the planners than ribbon development.
With regards to building at Carraroe, well if you don't build up the way, you have to build out the way. Ergo Ballysadare is gradually being swallowed up by Sligo. High rise development or urban sprawl. There are no other options.

peasant

il gatto wrote:

With regards to building at Carraroe, well if you don't build up the way, you have to build out the way. Ergo Ballysadare is gradually being swallowed up by Sligo. High rise development or urban sprawl. There are no other options.

Err ...no ....

The building that is envisaged for the Carraroe roundabout is yet another hotel.
First off, I seriously doubt that the demand in Sligo will carry another hotel (150 - 200 rooms ...can't remember exactly)
Secondly, if I wanted to stay in a hotel in Sligo, I would not want to do so at the busiest roundabout, hemmed in by busy roads and miles outside of town.

So, in my opinion, building another hotel there is a recipe for (financial) disaster. Therefore it needn't be built at all.

Building it in the shape of a 15 storey high-rise, given its location and its impact on the landscape for miles around, is a deadly sin and will seriously detract from the scenic and touristic "value" of Sligo.

If this will be built as planned, you will be able to see it clearly from as far as Raghley, Ballysodare or Strandhill. It will be a major eysore and do nothing whatsoever to enhance anything but the ego of whoever put it there.

And about 5 years down the line it will still be empty, falling slowly into ruin before the council has to buy it and house asylum seekers in it

Gillie

It will be interesting to see if your right about that.
I'm with il gatto on this one.
I believe the demand is there.

vesp

il gatto wrote:

High rise development or urban sprawl. There are no other options.

The planned hotel in Carraroe is both ; I agree with the previous poster who wrote that "Building it in the shape of a 15 storey high-rise, given its location and its impact on the landscape for miles around, is a deadly sin and will seriously detract from the scenic and touristic "value" of Sligo."

JoeyJJ

There are alot of Sales people etc who travel around the country and Sligo is a place where alot of these people stay on Weeknights, a couple of years ago before the the Clarian opened it was hard enough to get a room in Sligo. The proposed hotel at Carraroe could be like Dublins Red Cow, Clarian at Liffey Valey. The would be used by people who wanted to get on the road quickly.

I could be wrong..

Re The Design, Yeah will be seen for miles alright and could be a disaster in a few years, but the OX mountains are not that pretty either...

peasant

JoeyJJ wrote:

Re The Design, Yeah will be seen for miles alright and could be a disaster in a few years, but the OX mountains are not that pretty either...

If there absolutely has to be a high rise, it should be in the city centre, not at the fringe.

Designwise, that's just wrong. If you have a town big enough to warrant a "downtown" development, then by all means build your mini-Manhattan.

That need clearly doesn't exist in Sligo and there is no way a high rise would get planning permission in the town centre.

Somehow I can't shake off the feeling that some people absolutely want to make a statement, to show that Sligo deserves to be a "city" ...so let's plonk a highrise somewhere. Let's find somewhere that's zoned for commercial use and let's make it a hotel ...that way we'll sneak past an bord planeala.
(If you care to remember ...even their own planning inspector was against it but was overruled :eek: )

Look at any major city anywhere in the world. High rise developments in the centre ususally thrive ...those at the fringes usually turn into a ghetto of some shape or form over the years (Ballymun, anyone? ...or Paris for that matter)


As for customers for a hotel in that location ...businesman or no businessman ...if I have to stay somewhere for the night, I want to do so somewhere where I can go for a walk to get something to eat or drink rather than exile myself at the edge of town at the mercy of the hotel restaurant and bar.

Exiling yourself may be an option at the edge of Dublin (because otherwise it'll take you hours to get out the next morning) ...but in Sligo, where you have the Swan, the City Hotel and the Riverside ...why on earth would you stay out in Carraroe?
And as a tourist you surely wouldn't !!

I just can't see this work.

Gillie

peasant wrote:

If there absolutely has to be a high rise, it should be in the city centre, not at the fringe.

Designwise, that's just wrong. If you have a town big enough to warrant a "downtown" development, then by all means build your mini-Manhattan.

That need clearly doesn't exist in Sligo and there is no way a high rise would get planning permission in the town centre.

Somehow I can't shake off the feeling that some people absolutely want to make a statement, to show that Sligo deserves to be a "city" ...so let's plonk a highrise somewhere. Let's find somewhere that's zoned for commercial use and let's make it a hotel ...that way we'll sneak past an bord planeala.
(If you care to remember ...even their own planning inspector was against it but was overruled :eek: )

Look at any major city anywhere in the world. High rise developments in the centre ususally thrive ...those at the fringes usually turn into a ghetto of some shape or form over the years (Ballymun, anyone? ...or Paris for that matter)


As for customers for a hotel in that location ...businesman or no businessman ...if I have to stay somewhere for the night, I want to do so somewhere where I can go for a walk to get something to eat or drink rather than exile myself at the edge of town at the mercy of the hotel restaurant and bar.

Exiling yourself may be an option at the edge of Dublin (because otherwise it'll take you hours to get out the next morning) ...but in Sligo, where you have the Swan, the City Hotel and the Riverside ...why on earth would you stay out in Carraroe?
And as a tourist you surely wouldn't !!

I just can't see this work.

Depends on what your looking for as a tourist.
If your base was this new hotel at Carroroe - your local attractions include the following and you wouldn't have to go near the City/Town centre at all.
-Union Wood
-Slíos Wood
-Dooney Rock
-Strandhill Beach (Beach, Surfing and Golf)
-Lough Gill (Fishing & Boating).
-Carramore Megalithic Tombs
-McGarrys Horseriding Centre
-Knocknera (sp?)

TBH. Carraroe is not really on the fringe of Sligo. Anyway Shafin Developments are planning a big estate out there with Shops, Pub Creche etc. It's only a matter of time before the Development increases in the area.

peasant

Surely all these "attractions" are reachable just as easily from any other hotel ...any other hotel that is built within a vibrant town with good shops, nightlife and restaurants in walking distance and not somewhere overlooking a roundabout, a dual carriageway and several car dealerships

vesp

That skyscraper will cause huge controversy and disappointment with Irelands tourism image if its built out in the country at Carraroe. It would be unbelieveable if its built. If you want skyscrapers, there is a much better case to be made for putting them in city centres such as Dublin, than on green field sites in the country, miles from a town.

Gillie

peasant wrote:

Surely all these "attractions" are reachable just as easily from any other hotel ...any other hotel that is built within a vibrant town with good shops, nightlife and restaurants in walking distance and not somewhere overlooking a roundabout, a dual carriageway and several car dealerships

Yes but you made the point earlier that there might be "nothing to do" being waay out at carraroe!

peasant

Gillie wrote:

Yes but you made the point earlier that there might be "nothing to do" being waay out at carraroe!

...and there isn't. Unless you get into your car and/or a taxi.
None of your listed "attractions" is exactly within walking distance from the Carraroe roundabout and your closest pub/restaurant would probably be Molly Fultons.

I just can't see why anybody would want to stay in that hotel, when there are so many more pleasant options available.

(And even the last Irish culchie is by now so cosmopolitan that the simple fact alone that you can have a room on the 15th floor is no longer a novelty and won't draw in the customers )

Gillie

They are not within walking distance of the centre of sligo either.
I was simply saying that it would be a good starting point for visiting these places.