A 5-star hotel would be the jewel in Waterford city’s Crown
The long since closed Jury's Ardree Hotel overlooking Waterford City. Photo: Joe Evans
One wonders what lies ahead for the Ardree Jury's Hotel site after several false starts.
Tony Breen built the 109-bedroom hotel in the late 1960’s. A dinner dance to celebrate the opening followed, which seated over 700 people. It is widely considered that the closing of the hotel, following several changes of ownership, was a major step back for Waterford.
This move left the city without a venue capable of seating several hundred people. The McEniff Hotel Group acquired the site and advanced plans to transform the site into a retirement village. These plans fell through partly due to the economic downturn.
Developing a 5-star hotel on the Ardree site would improve Waterford City’s expanding tourism offering. Four and five-star hotels offer luxury, which is tailored towards attracting people and families who are holidaying rather than on business.
Waterford has huge potential on the tourism front with access to extensive forestry, fantastic beaches and mountainous scenery second to none. World-class attractions such as the fantastic Greenway, Viking Triangle, Waterford Crystal and Ireland’s Ancient East, to name a few, shine bright lights on Waterford internationally.
Whilst one recognises the fantastic hotels Waterford City enjoys, the time is now for the city's first 5-star hotel and one couldn’t think of a better site than the Ardree. With the spectacular vista of the city stretching out before you from the Ardree this would make a great location for a “sky restaurant” as found in major cities, such as New York or Tokyo.
Considering the plans for the North Quays, connecting the hotel location to the sustainable integrated transport hub via cable car, as previously suggested, wouldn’t be beyond the realm of imagination. As a Man. United supporter one wouldn’t often visit Liverpool but on an occasional visit one of my first ports of call is Albert Dock. The Albert Dock complex, which was originally developed in the 1840’s, consists of warehouses and dock buildings, not too unlike the North Quays. Following years of dereliction, the site was transformed into a major tourist attraction. The North Quays and the hotel site would complement each other with some forward-thinking vision.
The hotel signifies home for countless great memories down through the years. One hopes to see this hotel shining bright once again over the fabulous Waterford City in the not too distant future.
