Ballykisteen in Liquidation

digzy

Just heard the hotel is in liquidation. Anyone heard confirmation of this?
Apparently they've 77 weddings booked.

mox54

Also heard they had no liqueur licence or dance hall and trading illegally, beggars belief!.

Xenophile

If this is true it's bad news especially after the Glenn of Aherlow has featured in the top 5 Irish places to visit.

http://www.tippfm.com/news/detail/provisional_liquidator_appointed_to_tipperary_hotel

A provisional liquidator has been appointed to a Co Tipperary hotel with 75 eddings on the books, including one scheduled for tomorrow.
The High Court has heard the four star Ballykisteen Hotel at Limerick Junction has
been operating without liquor and dance licenses but tomorrow's celebrations will go ahead.
Provisional liquidator Jim Hamilton will be taking over the immediate running of the Ballykisteen hotel after Ulster Bank's lawyers impressed on the High Court the urgent need for someone to step in and take the reins.
His job will be to temporarily protect the assets of the company but his first priority will be to renew lapsed dance and liquor licences ahead of a wedding
party tomorrow.
It's the first of 75 weddings on the books and the court was told that just one cancellation would result in a haemorrhage of business.
Ulster Bank made the move against the insolvent hotel because it is 290 thousnd euros overdrawn on its overdraft facility.
Ballykisteen is a four star operation with 36 bedrooms and 45 self catering lodges.
It employs around 80 people.
Meanwhile the Company which has taken over the management of Ballykisteen has issued a statement this evening. Prem Group, one of Ireland’s leading hotel management companies, has been appointed to manage the Tipp hotel which has been placed into provisional liquidation.
Jim Murphy, Managing Director, PREM Group said: It's business as usual at Ballykisteen and they look forward to working with the staff and continuing to provide a professional and friendly service at one of Tipperary’s leading hotel and conference venues.

digzy

it'd be some loss from a number of respects.
personally, i thought it was a great venue for a wedding. food was always good easy parking etc....
hate those hotels where you've to drive around a multistorey and then pay for the privilege:mad:

tippspur

Shocking news,was at a wedding there a while back and thought it was a class Hotel.

Dee cliff

I'm one of the brides on their books, wedding in 2014,didn't have a great nights sleep. Seriously worried about our wedding, the double blow was to do with the license, any advise????

MollBelle

I am also one of the brides for 2014 and really dont know what to do!! Hotel are saying business as normal but for how long??? Getting legal advise from a friend of a friend to see what my options are

MollBelle

MollBelle wrote: »

I am also one of the brides for 2014 and really dont know what to do!! Hotel are saying business as normal but for how long??? Getting legal advise from a friend of a friend to see what my options are

Forget the friend of a friend and go straight to a solicitor yourself! I very much doubt that it will go to the wall. A fresh pair of eyes and some belt tightening should do. It's only €250,000 or so overdrawn, but that may not be the full picture.

Dee cliff

Also getting legal advise, they seem to be saying receivership but all reports say liquidation, need to contact company registration office to find out for sure, not open until 10.

MollBelle

will you post anything you find out and I'll do the same.........are you early or late 2014, I'm in the first quarter of the year

Dee cliff

MollBelle wrote: »

will you post anything you find out and I'll do the same.........are you early or late 2014, I'm in the first quarter of the year

We're July, contacted that company, they're down as trading normal, no liquidation or receivership papers lodged yet. Newspaper does not read good, no licence since oct 12,

MollBelle

I'm still waiting to hear back from mate who is checking situation with solc, as soon as I have info I'll post it

Geri123

Any info greatly appreciated, we have our wedding booked for April 2014 with deposit paid!!

They don't seem to be a stand alone hotel. According to their website they have sister hotels "Ballykisteen Hotel & Golf Resort now has sister properties, Waterford Castle Hotel & Golf Resort, Aherlow House Hotel, Kinnitty Castle Hotel, Boyne Valley and Country Club & the Towers Bar & Restaurant Westport, Co. Mayo"
http://www.ballykisteenhotel.com/our-sister-properties.html
I wonder how this will affect their position.

angelll

I'm getting married in Aherlow House in Oct this yr,am also interested in hearing anything about the future of the company,a friend is getting married in Ballykisteen itself in 3 weeks and she's extremely worried today.

digzy

Dee cliff wrote: »

Also getting legal advise, they seem to be saying receivership but all reports say liquidation, need to contact company registration office to find out for sure, not open until 10.

Good point. I always thought liquidation meant that a liquidator goes in and sells off everything in order to get the most money back for the liquidator-ulster bank.

This sounds like a receivership.

julyjane

I think generally receivers hope to keep a hotel trading in the hope of eventually selling it. Wasn't the Lyrath in Kilkenny in receivership (possibly still is)

Myself and the OH were joking (easy for us when we're not getting married there) that if alcohol couldn't be sold at the wedding it would be BYO all round and a very cheap night.

I hope all brides (and grooms) to be have their contracts honoured and have a great day. I just couldn't imagine the place closing but who knows, it gets a great deal of passing, local and raceday trade it has a lot going for it so I'd imagine the receivers will make every effort to keep it going.

Layinghen

Beautiful hotel. Best sandwiches I have ever had in any hotel bar. Very sad to hear the news. I really hope it can be kept going.

Vixiegirl

We also have our wedding booked.... but quite far off. We really dont know what to do.... everyone is saying we might as well say goodbye to our deposit. Have no idea of the workings of receivership/liquudation etc.... can we get deposit back if they are still trading etc???

Fingers crossed all goes good

digzy

Vixiegirl wrote: »

We also have our wedding booked.... but quite far off. We really dont know what to do.... everyone is saying we might as well say goodbye to our deposit. Have no idea of the workings of receivership/liquudation etc.... can we get deposit back if they are still trading etc???

Fingers crossed all goes good

Perhaps it'd be an idea if those of you who've a wedding planned there ought to make contact either here, facebook...etc. Then ye could hopefully ask someone who knows a little more about the situation, where things stand. I know nobody wants to contemplate it, but worse case scenario and you're told the deposit is lost at least you can try make other arrangements.

Best of luck. It's a stressful time without this carry-on. It'd be great if you could check on a hotel like you can a car-hpi!

Vixiegirl

Have been trying to ring this evening.... no answer.... quite worrying. Just posting on fb now

Dee cliff

digzy wrote: »

Perhaps it'd be an idea if those of you who've a wedding planned there ought to make contact either here, facebook...etc. Then ye could hopefully ask someone who knows a little more about the situation, where things stand. I know nobody wants to contemplate it, but worse case scenario and you're told the deposit is lost at least you can try make other arrangements.

Best of luck. It's a stressful time without this carry-on. It'd be great if you could check on a hotel like you can a car-hpi!

That a great idea maybe if we approached them as a group, the thing that really worried me in the article yesterday was if they lost one wedding it would cause huge problems,

MollBelle

advise received from a solc is that because the hotel is still trading and can still offer the contracted service I'm not entitled to my deposit back, he said that I can ask for it but the hotel do not have to return it as it would be me breaking the contract. Hve been doing a little research on PREM Group and spoken to two people who have been at weddings in hotels that this group are managing and from both accounts the level of service in both hotels has increased since the group took it over

Dee cliff

MollBelle wrote: »

advise received from a solc is that because the hotel is still trading and can still offer the contracted service I'm not entitled to my deposit back, he said that I can ask for it but the hotel do not have to return it as it would be me breaking the contract. Hve been doing a little research on PREM Group and spoken to two people who have been at weddings in hotels that this group are managing and from both accounts the level of service in both hotels has increased since the group took it over

It looks like a waiting game so, I wonder will prem group offer us say a legal document on their plans for the hotel to put our minds at rest, or if it closed they would facilitate us at one of their other hotels

MollBelle

I'm going to give it a couple of weeks and if I havent heard anything from receiver then I will arrange a meeting at the hotel to see what will happen in the event of the hotel closing

Vixiegirl

My h2b was just onto someone in the hotel. They said the sales team sre contacting all the couples that have booked weddings with them to reassure them. I wonder is this true?

pooch90

Did the wedding that was booked in go ahead??

Dee cliff

pooch90 wrote: »

Did the wedding that was booked in go ahead??

Yes it did, I emailed yesterday and licenses are sorted

pooch90

That's a positive sign at least. Hope everything works out for all you brides and grooms.

DaveJac

all the rest of the wedding couples should try get together and arrange a meeting with the hotel/reciever, they wont want to loose the business and i cant see them getting many new bookings until this is all sorted and hopefully everything is ok, they will want to keep all weddings to keep money coming in