The Comis Hotel and Golf Resort opens its doors to its first guests today ( Wednesday).
A ’substantial’ investment has been ploughed into the development on the site of the old Mount Murray hotel which closed following a devastating fire that swept thr ough the accommodation block in 2013.
General manager Ronnie Orr and his team of staff are now eagerly awaiting the arrival of the first guests, speakers and delegates arriving for the KPMG eGaming Summit.
And Chief Minister Howard Quayle is expected to make the opening address to the summit on Thursday morning.
It will be a return for KPMG, which held summits at the old Mount Murray in 2010, 2011, and 2012.
The fire erupted just hours before the 2013 conference and organisers had to switch to the Palace Hotel at the last minute.
Comis Holdings was formed in the Isle of Man in 2015 specifically to negotiate the purchase and redevelopment of the former Mount Murray Hotel and Country Club.
affable
Comis has been defined in Latin as courteous, obliging, cultured, elegant, affable, gracious and kind.
After dropping the Mount Murray name, the new owners say they now plan a new era. The promise was to create a ’fantastic’ development.
Business News was given an exclusive first look preview of the new hotel.
Seamus Byrne, head of sales and marketing, told Business News on the eve of the opening: ’The excitement levels are massive at the moment. Everybody is on board and can’t wait to get the hotel up and running. We are really looking forward to welcoming both guests and visitors to come up and enjoy the facilities, to have a look round and see what a great investment has been made.’
He added: ’This hotel development is going to be a great attraction.’
Mr Byrne said Comis brings together long established expertise across several business sectors, including hospitality, property development and civil engineering, with a common goal of delivering a ’superior’ hotel and leisure facility on the Isle of Man.
He said: ’The first phase of this development is the opening of the Comis hotel with its conference facilities, restaurants, bars and guest rooms.’
Mr Byrne said it was hoped phase two of the major project will be complete by April next year. This will see the opening of a new spa, together with a swimming pool and gym.
Business News was given exclusive access to the hotel as final preparations were made.
lOne of the most striking changes is a new entrance lobby and reception area. And close to the main entrance an attractive landscaped area is being developed where photographs can be taken of, for example, weddings.
l105 guest rooms including 12 executive rooms, 16 interconnecting family rooms and seven dedicated accessibility rooms. There are also a number of dedicated pet friendly rooms.
lThe refurbished Niarbyl Suite has been extended to include a new dedicated entrance and fitted with the latest digital conference technology and can cater for up to 250 guests.
lThe Snaefell restaurant and cocktail bar on the upper ground floor has been fitted with floor to ceiling windows and can cater for up to 140 guests.
lThe Brulot bar and grill on the lower ground floor has floor to ceiling windows installed and new outdoor patio areas for al fresco dining in the summer. The Brulot overlooks the beautiful grounds and golf course and can cater for up to 140 guests.
Mr Byrne told Business News the work on site has taken about 18 months.
’Various trades have been on-site during the build. A huge investment has been made to increase the number of bedrooms to 105.
’There has also been a lot of internal work which will be fabulous when people come up and see the hotel.
’The reconstruction of the two restaurants and bars and our main function room, the Niarbyl suite.
’It’s fantastic news for the island.’
Parking for 200 cars is available and Mr Byrne said every car parking space will be ’extra wide’.
One of the key targets for business will be classic car clubs.
He predicted the hotel,combined with the existing golf course would be a winning package.
He said:’The hotel aims to deliver a four star experience to visitors and guests and we will work closely with the Visit Isle of Man team and travel media to market the hotel and the island as a unique tourist destination’.
He said core visitor markets will include:
lShort break visitor market,
lFamily break visitors
lSpecial leisure breaks ’Spa / Golfing holidays
lBusiness travellers
lConference market
And Mr Byrne added: ’We are accepting reservations for conferences, weddings, functions and events and have already a considerable number taking place over the coming months.’
For Mr Byrne it’s a welcome return.
He was a duty manager at the old Mount Murray for two years in the late 1990s.
He said: ’When I first came over to the Isle of Man in 1989, my first five years here were spent working in the hospitality industry in Port Erin.’
The hotel can be contacted on 661111.