New Hotel Kilmore bedrooms bring a sparkle to the eye

Strategically located on a splendid elevated site on the Dublin road approach to Cavan town, the Hotel Kilmore is synonymous with the outward expansion of the county town over recent decades. In fact the building of the hotel on a green-field site by the initial owners the Brady family was one of the first key developments in the growth of Cavan. The building of the Kilmore was regarded at the time as being of singular importance to selling the town as a centre of industry and commerce - it would be an important shop window for the promotion of Cavan. Since then it has more than lived up to its original remit. Owned for many years by the Quinn Group, it was purchased four years ago by Ross and Kate Mealiff who have wide experience in the hotel and catering sector. They built upon the Kilmore"s strong qualities as one of the region"s top hotels particularly for conferences, weddings and the full range of social and family events in the area. As part of their drive to make the Kilmore one of Ireland"s top venues for holiday breaks, Ross and Kate recently undertook a major transformation of the hotel"s 38 bedrooms. A walk around the bedrooms is an enchanting experience to say the least with the beautiful decor of each individual room generating its own distinct ambience. All of the bedrooms are ensuite and the Mealiffs have spared no effort in getting it right. Rooms were stripped right back to the block wall and replastered in the new with the most up-to-date sound proofing installed for guest comfort. This area of the hotel was all replumbed and new doors were provided. The rooms were also rewired and in keeping with the importance of promoting green efficiency they installed low energy light bulbs. All rooms have a plasma screen TV. The premier (bridal) suite is any newly married couple"s dream and besides the bright, luxurious atmosphere that is clearly evident (not to mention the charming four poster bed), there is also the special attraction of a TV in the bathroom so the newly weds can watch their favourite soap or DVD while sharing the pleasures of the jacuzzi. The bridal suite is only rivalled by the suite for the parents of the bride and here again artistic imagination translates into the creation of that which is beautiful, relaxed and comforting. The Hotel Kilmore"s 38 bedrooms is divided evenly between the ground floor and first floor. On the ground floor there is a specially designed room for the disabled. It is fully fitted out to facilitate easy showering and other comforts. A sensor alarm is triggered in the hotel should a disabled person happen to fall. Ross and Kate are appreciative of the support they receive from the people of Cavan and the general catchment area. While they accept that these are challenging times for all businesses, they are heartened by the level of activity through the hotel describing their wedding business as being particularly good. They attribute this success to the effort that the hotel makes in ensuring that the wedding party are given that extra level of attention on the day and are made to feel the joy of this special family occasion. The Kilmore operates a one wedding per day policy and this ensures that there is a full focus on that particular event - with nothing let go amiss. The Kilmore is well rooted in the social life of the region being a popular venue for the functions of sporting and community organisations. Both Ross and general manager, Paul Henry, have strong associations with all local sporting organisations particularly the GAA and the hotel is once again sponsor of the Kilmore Hotel championships. Kate and Ross are the parents of a young family and Ross himself is an Independent member of Clones Town Council. He has served on the council for several terms having succeeded his father the late Jim Mealiff who was a member and former Chairman of Clones Urban Council for many years. A past chairman himself, Ross is seeking re-election in the forthcoming local elections and believes that an Independent voice on the council is important for the ordinary voter who are concerned about the economic times that we are now living in and the implications it has for their standard of living. He also believes that his business background is an asset in his role as a public representative.