Great Southern Hotels

Great Southern Hotels
IndustryHospitality
Founded1963; 61 years ago (1963)
Defunct2006 (2006)
FateBroken up
Owners

Great Southern Hotels was a chain of hotels owned by Irish semi-state airport operator Aer Rianta; and eventually broken up in 2006. The chain was bought by Aer Rianta from fellow semi-state company CIÉ for IE£10m in 1990.[1]

CIÉ, as operators of the state's railways, had inherited the railway hotel chains of predecessor companies - primarily the Great Southern & Western Railway, which had used the name Great Southern Hotel for its properties since the 19th century, with the formalised Great Southern Hotels subsidiary being formed in 1963.[2] CIÉ had developed further properties closer to roadways as private car transport increased;[3] but closed other properties in the 1970s. Aer Rianta constructed hotels at its Dublin and Cork Airports, but did not extend the chain any further. It ran in to significant financial trouble in the latter era of CIÉ ownership, requiring a state bailout;[2] and again before its dissolution by Aer Rianta[4]

At the time of its break-up, the firm owned eight hotels - three at Aer Rianta owned airports and five in other locations.[5] They also operated and part-owned the City Hotel in Derry[6]

  1. ^ "The inn crowd". Archived from the original on 26 February 2020. Retrieved 26 February 2020 – via www.thetimes.co.uk.
  2. ^ a b Murray, John (1 January 1993). "Great Southern Hotels". arrow.tudublin.ie. Archived from the original on 22 March 2020. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  3. ^ "It's the end of the line for the Great Railway hotels". independent. Archived from the original on 26 February 2020. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
  4. ^ Oliver, Emmet. "Great Southern losses 'unsustainable'". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 24 September 2021. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
  5. ^ "Seven of eight Great Southern Hotels sold for total of €265m". www.irishexaminer.com. 25 August 2006. Archived from the original on 26 February 2020. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  6. ^ Beesley, Arthur. "Great Southern takes stake in new €19m Derry hotel". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 24 September 2021. Retrieved 26 February 2020.