Great Southern Hotels


Great Southern Hotels was a chain of hotels owned by Irish semi-state airport operator Aer Rianta; and eventually broken up in 2006. The chain was bought by Aer Rianta from fellow semi-state company CIÉ for IE£10m in 1990.
CIÉ, as operators of the state's railways, had inherited the railway hotel chains of predecessor companies - primarily the Great Southern & Western Railway, who had used the name Great Southern Hotel for their properties since the 19th Century, with the formalised Great Southern Hotels subsidiary being formed in 1963. CIÉ had developed further properties closer to roadways as private car transport increased; but closed other properties in the 1970s. Aer Rianta constructed hotels at its Dublin and Cork Airports, but did not extend the chain any further. It ran in to significant financial trouble in the latter era of CIÉ ownership, requiring a state bailout; and again before its dissolution by Aer Rianta
At the time of its break-up, the firm owned 8 hotels - 3 at Aer Rianta owned airports and 5 in other locations. They also operated and part-owned the City Hotel in Derry

Former Hotels

Open at time of closure