The K Club marks its 25th anniversary this July
25 years after The K Club opened its doors and became the very first 5 AA Red Star property in Ireland, the hotel and Resort continues to go from strength to strength with over one thousand combined years of service being delivered by some two hundred staff. Almost a quarter of a century later, some of these very first team members are still offering classic Irish hospitality to The K Club’s many Irish and international guests, members and friends.
Over the years, The K Club has reached many important milestones, it hosted 13 European Opens, the Ryder Cup in 2006, and most recently the Irish Open in May of this year, at which Rory McIlroy emerged as victor. It has also won countless accolades, most notably the CNN Top Ten Best Golf Resort in the World, the AA Hotel of the Year, and the Best Golf Resort for the last 12 years running in the Luxury World Travel Awards.
The hotel itself dates from 1832, and has a rich history, hosting many famous faces from the worlds of politics, film, sport and the media. Some of the famous faces who have enjoyed their stay at Ireland’s most iconic hotel include, President George Bush, President Bill Clinton, Sean Connery, David and Victoria Beckham, Richard Gere, Michael Douglas, Prince Albert of Monaco, Samuel L. Jackson, Justin Timberlake and Joan Collins, to name but a few.
The K Club is owned by Dr. Michael Smurfit, who at almost 80 years of age, is continuing to invest, renovate and improve the facilities and offerings to the K Club’s most discerning guests. Over €20 million has been spent on the property in the last year through an extensive refurbishment covering the Hotel , golf courses and club houses , a brand new bedroom wing has been added, along with the addition of a new restaurant, K Thai, a new bar, the Media Puzzle Bar, and two all-weather tennis courts.
The Liffey Wing is located to the west side of the hotel and contains 70 bedrooms bringing the total number of rooms at The K Club to 140. Developed in the exact same style as the original house, the Wing has been sympathetically created and blends seamlessly with the existing. The bedrooms are in the new ‘Liffey Deluxe’ category and many of them enjoy views to the River, boat house or the gardens, while most ground floor rooms enjoy direct access to a private terrace. Bedrooms are from 410 sq ft to 800 sq ft in size and feature lofty ceilings, air conditioning, huge windows, mini bars, Nespresso coffee machines and spacious hand painted bathrooms, complete with twin sinks, extra deep baths and separate power showers with traditional and rain water heads. The furnishings too are in keeping with the original Straffan House which was built in 1832 by the French, wine making, Barton family. Rooms have been designed to echo classical elegance, comfort and of course luxury. Each bathroom depicts different hand painted motifs or French countryside scenes, wardrobes are generous and the soft furnishings are rich and elegant.
Michael Davern, CEO and General Manager of The K Club said, “I was privileged to be part of the original team who worked here for the opening all those years ago in 1991. At that time there was a real excitement about the opening of the hotel and estate. There was nothing like it in Ireland, we were at the forefront of premier hospitality and still are. Over the years and the tremendous support of our owner, Dr. Michael Smurfit, our dedicated team has delivered a combined 1,000 years of service at The K Club! It is wonderful to have so many of our loyal team members still with us, and our many returning guests comment that it is wonderful to see the same people serving them and their families year after year. Indeed, we constantly hear our return guests remark, “it’s wonderful to be home”.
The K Club is set on 550 acres of mature parkland and beautiful formal gardens, with the River Liffey flowing through the estate. Apart from the 140 bedroom hotel and several restaurants and bars, there are two Arnold Palmer designed champion golf courses, two golf club houses, a state of the art health club with a swimming pool and gym, a resort spa, tennis courts, a playground in the Victorian Walled Garden, junior golf and a kids club. Guests can also avail of a huge amount of outdoor pursuits, including falconry, fishing, horse riding, archery and clay pigeon shooting. The resort enjoys a tranquil rural setting, and is yet located just 30 minutes from Dublin Airport and the city centre, in the heart of Ireland’s Ancient East.
For more details see www.kclub.ie email sales@kclub.ie or call + 353 (0) 1 6017200
