Donegal hotel goes for a €650,000 song

The Sandhouse Hotel in Rossnowlagh, Co Donegal, which was bought today by its current manager.

Donegal hotel goes for a €650,000 song

A 55-bedroom hotel overlooking Donegal Bay, which was once on the market for €4.5 million, has sold at an auction of distressed property for €650,000.

The Sandhouse Hotel in the popular seaside resort of Rossnowlagh had been billed as the star lot in today’s Allsop/Space auction in Dublin’s Shelbourne Hotel.

However, the hotel, which was put on the market by direction of its liquidator KPMG, attracted considerably less interest than expected.

After a short bidding race, the property sold for its reserve price of €650,000, a fraction of what its former owners thought it was worth at the height of the boom.

The picturesque property was bought by the hotel’s current manager Paul Diver, who has managed the hotel for the last 20 years. “I just can’t believe it. It’s a total adrenaline rush. It’s been a long, long road but we’ve made it.”

When asked if he was surprised by the lack of interest, Mr Diver quipped: “No, I was delighted”

The auction, which is the first of five planned Allsop/Space auctions scheduled for 2012, contained 100 lots of property, ranging from rural cottages to sleek city centre apartments.

Organisers said they expected about 2,000 people to attend the event during the course of the day.

About two-thirds of the properties are being sold by direction of receivers, reflecting the catastrophic collapse of Ireland’s once robust property sector. The remaining third have been put up for sale by private individuals.

Director of auctions at Allsop/Space Robert Hoban said: “At every auction the percentage of private vendors is increasing as more and more people want to put their properties out on the open market.”

On whether the auction reflected the open market value of Irish property, Mr Hoban said: “We don’t decide the sale price or value of the property, we let the punters decide where property value is and let them decide whether the market is going up or down.”

Over four sales last year, Allsop/Space sold over €52 million worth of distressed property assets, about 92 per cent of the total lots for sale.

Bank of Ireland had a stand the event today for the first time, offering mortgage applications to customers looking to bid at the auction.

German top hotelier develops a superlative vanguard vacation residence in prime location in Bali

 

delMango Couture Retreat in Bali, Indonesia delMango Couture Retreat in Bali, Indonesia (source: tophotelprojects.com)

delMango Couture Retreat in Bali, Indonesia (source: tophotelprojects.com)

delMango Couture Retreat in Bali, Indonesia (source: tophotelprojects.com)

Frank M. Pfaller Frank M. Pfaller (source: tophotelprojects.com)

delMango Couture Retreat – the first eco luxury retreat in Bali

TOPHOTELPROJECTS: German top hotelier develops a superlative vanguard vacation residence in prime location in Bali - Newswire Service for upcoming hotel projects (17)

Hamburg, Germany -- Frank M. Pfaller is an absolute exception within the global hotelier community: The professional host, with German roots, impresses because of his meteoric career in the international luxury hospitality and his preference for luxury cars such as the Bentley Convertible. After his stop-over in numerous international "jet-set places-to-be – like the Caribbean, Marbella and Kitzbuehel – Pfaller now sets his foot on the charming beaches of Indonesian paradise island Bali. He develops the first eco luxury couture retreat, a real vanguard superlative, in Seminyak's prime location near the international airport (TOPHOTELPROJECTSNr. 13185). This exclusive hideaway offers private villas with one to three bedrooms, first class hotel service and a conceptual focus on "nature & environment". The hotel opening is scheduled for autumn 2012. The top brand "del" stands for "discerningly eco luxury", an unmistakable strategic focus on sustainability in all parts of this top hotel project such as its construction, the furnishing, the consumption & waste as well as the daily service.

Frank M. Pfaller is an absolute exception within the global hotelier community: The professional host, with German roots, impresses because of his meteoric career in the international luxury hospitality and his preference for luxury cars such as the Bentley Convertible. After his stop-over in numerous international "jet-set places-to-be – like the Caribbean, Marbella and Kitzbuehel – Pfaller now sets his foot on the charming beaches of Indonesian paradise island Bali. He develops the first eco luxury couture retreat, a real vanguard superlative, in Seminyak's prime location near the international airport (TOPHOTELPROJECTS Nr. 13185). This exclusive hideaway offers private villas with one to three bedrooms, first class hotel service and a conceptual focus on "nature & environment". The hotel opening is scheduled for autumn 2012. The top brand "del" stands for "discerningly eco luxury", an unmistakable strategic focus on sustainability in all parts of this top hotel project such as its construction, the furnishing, the consumption & waste as well as the daily service.

The delMango Couture Retreat will combine cosmopolitan comfort and vanguard design to come up with an international unique "way of life" attitude. In his brand communication, Having observed the preferences of frequent travelers, Pfaller deliberately applies the German "way of life" rather than the extensively used "lifestyle" approach. With his development company Selected Estates of Asia Pte. Ltd. Singapore, Frank M. Pfaller is regarded a pioneer in the development of luxury resorts. Amongst others he has been awarded with the "Green Star Diamond Award" from the renowned American Academy of Hospitality Sciences.

The Balinese architects Yoko Sara and Ketut Arthana showcase paradisiac gardens around the spacious villas and the central hotel areas such as the reception and the lounge. The internationally well-known Japanese creative professionals from Nobuyiki Narabayashi's design team (lead-designer for "Super Potatoe") heads the international interior design with a particular focus on the main target clientele, future hotel guests from Japan. The hotel architecture will include typical Balinese shapes and materials, for example bamboo. "Eco luxury" is geared to a destination's ethic settings and therefore needs to follow pre-set standards regarding natural resources like water and energy wastage, says Pfaller.

Living, relaxing and entertainment – these are the main qualities of a top resort. The F&B concept thereby plays an important part, which is why Pfaller prefers the Japanese kitchen and East Asian finger food. Exquisite patisserie further refines the gourmet offering.

With just 14 private villas – 233 sqm to 457 smq in size and each equipped with an individual swimming pool – the delMango Couture Retreat will become one of the most exclusive spots of international hospitality. Of course available to merely a small group of people who are able to afford this costly pleasure. Nine of 14 villas have already been sold. If the owners are not on site, a simple overnight stay will cost between 390 US Dollar (for a small villa with one bedroom during off-season) and approximately 1,155 US Dollar (during peak season for a three bedroom villa)

How fast is the 2012 Bentley Mulsanne Mulliner

The behemoth that is the Bentley Mulsanne isn't exactly the most obvious choice for a performance car, but that isn't about to stop the British luxury brand from unveiling a sporting variant called the Mulliner Driving Specification at the2012 Geneva Motor Show in March.

Featuring unique 21-inch alloy wheels, 'Flying B' wing vents and a Sport setting for the suspension for the first time, the Mulliner Driving Specification is certainly going to make an impression - even if it doesn't get any upgrades in the raw power department.

Bentley Motors

How fast is the 2012 Bentley Mulsanne Mulliner Driving Specification?

With just the usual 512hp from Bentley's stately - but high-tech - 6.75-litre V8, the Mulliner Driving Specification will go 0-62mph in 5.3 seconds and hit a top speed of 186mph.

This is exactly the same as the standard car, right down to the eight-speed gearbox and the rear-wheel drive, so Bentley really is placing the emphasis on the handling to justify the difference.

Well, that and a few choice cosmetic enhancements...

What makes the 2012 Bentley Mulsanne Mulliner Driving Specification different?

The new Sport aspect of the chassis comes into play as a new setting for the Mulsanne's Drive Dynamics Control system. Operated via a rotary knob positioned next to the gear lever, the Sport setting makes changes to the adaptive systems under the big Bentley's skin to deliver a more focused drive.

To be specific, Bentley says it provides "enhanced grip, body control and steering accuracy without compromising ride comfort" - which will be some trick if it can pull it off. After all, the Mulsanne weighs no less than 2.6 tonnes.

Bentley Motors

How do I tell the difference between a Mulliner Driving Specification and a standard Bentley Mulsanne?

On the outside the new car should be easy to spot, thanks not only to the enormous 21-inch alloy wheels but also the new 'Flying B' vents, located at the bottom of the front wings just ahead of the door.

Finished in polished stainless steel - no lightweight aluminium here - these are engraved with the word Mulliner, and the flowing design is intended to produce an impression of speed.

The wheels, meanwhile, are a two-piece design unique to the Mulliner Driving Specification, and secured with race-derived titanium fasteners. There are painted and polished versions available.

Bentley Motors

What's special about the 2012 Mulliner Driving Specification's interior?

If you're lucky enough to find yourself on the inside, Bentley has developed a new version of the Diamond Quilting technique it usually reserves for its sportiest models.

A new "hide perforation process" allows the creation of special diamond-shaped perforations with non-perforated "tramlines" in between, leading to even greater precision during the hand-crafting of the interior.

In addition to this there are knurled or "coined" surface finishes on some of the metal controls, while the pedals are made from drilled aluminium with each raised grip individually polished.

There are special treadplate plaques on the driver and passenger door sills as well.

How much does the 2012 Bentley Mulsanne Mulliner Driving Specification cost?

Bentley is yet to reveal prices for the new Mulsanne Mulliner Driving Specification, but don't expect to see much change - if any - from £250,000. More details about this and the new model's availability are set to be confirmed at next month's Geneva Motor Show.

In other news, however, Bentley has also announced two new options for the entire Mulsanne range: a large electric sunroof and a two-bottle champagne cooler complete with three hand-blown, hand-cut lead crystal champagne flutes.