This is a real shame as I used to regularly stay at this property and it really is a great one. However while travel might be cut next year I will probably find myself now staying in the Westin to keep my stays up. A real shame as they treated me very very well and have a great team......
Fota hotel to split from Sheraton
By Claire O’Sullivan
Saturday, August 22, 2009
STARWOOD, the owners of the luxury Sheraton brand, and the Fota Island Corporation have agreed to go their separate ways from next month.
The five-star hotel will continue to operate as Fota Island Hotel and Spa but will no longer be part of the worldwide Sheraton Hotels and Resorts reservations and sales platforms.
Fota Island say that the decision "to end their relationship" was "mutual and amicably reached". The hotel will no longer use the Sheraton title after September 13.
However, any existing Sheraton bookings will be honoured for the rest of the year.
The Fota Island Resort is owned by the Fleming Group/ Fleming Construction who developed the land at the height of the building boom.
General manager John O’Flynn said that a hotel is not made by its brand but by its staff.
"It is the people who make any venture a success, and the same people who have built the reputation of Fota Island Resort to its current renowned and award-winning levels will not be changing. We will retain all our key personnel and also our current staffing levels. We are communicating with all our customers to inform them that this rebranding will in no way impact on any existing bookings. We are looking forward to this exciting new chapter in Fota Island Resort’s development," he said.
Last year, the east Cork hotel garnered the prestigious title of Ireland’s Leading Spa Resort at the 2008 World Travel Awards, the most prestigious awards programme in the travel industry worldwide.
The premier awards in the travel industry, the World Travel Awards concentrate on identifying companies that consistently excel beyond expectations.
Yesterday, a spokesman for Starwood Hotels & Resorts said they "wished Fota Island Corporation Limited all the best in their future endeavours".
This story appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Saturday, August 22, 2009
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