The Dunluce Lodge — Photo by Valor Hospitality

Valor Hospitality Partners, a global, full-service hotel acquisition, development, management and asset management company announced they have been appointed to managing The Dunluce Lodge, a new build 35 room, five-star luxury hotel and spa. The hotel will be built overlooking the famous 4th fairway at Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland, with views of Portrush town, Donegal headlands and islands known as The Skerries.

The nine-acre site which originally was privately owned, is due to open in 2023 and has received both political and local support, as well as backing from 2011 Open Championship winner Darren Clarke, who also resides in Portrush. The inspiration behind the plans for The Dunluce Lodge is to replicate the original house on the site and sympathetically blend into the landscape. The Dunluce Lodge comes on the heels of Valor Hospitality's most recent management agreement of the renowned Scores Hotel in St. Andrews, Scotland further expanding the brand's global portfolio.

This development will be the first of its kind in the north coast region of Northern Ireland, with no other five-star hotel existing within a radius of 60 miles. The five-star status for the area has been a need for many years, and Tourism NI, Causeway Coast and Glens Council welcome this investment to the region.

The idea for The Dunluce Lodge was devised by the U.S. owners, Jonathan Harper and Robert Covington who established investors for the project through the Links Capital Collection. As true lovers of links golf, they visited the area many times and loved the spectacular links golf along the North Coast. They realized there was a gap in the market which they could fulfil, serving international travelers, golfers and locals alike.

The Dunluce Lodge will bring significant economic benefit to Portrush and wider areas across Northern Ireland. The owners and management share their excitement to work and engage with the local community, with an emphasis to recruit a team of local professionals for the project and on completion, approximately 80 people will be employed.

The appointed architects at The Dunluce Lodge are Maxwell and Company, Inverness, who are specialists in designing luxury resorts, castles and hotels such as the Carnegie Club at Skibo Castle, Glenborrodale Castle and Inverlochy Castle Hotel, with the lead architect being James Maxwell.

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