New look marks 40 years at the Killyhevlin
As the Watson family celebrate four decades in business in one of Fermanagh’s most recognisable hotel venues, LCN has been looking at the results of the latest, major refurbishment programme.
The owners of the 72-room Killyhevlin Lakeside Hotel in Enniskillen have marked their 40th year in business in 2016 with a stylish £1m refurbishment programme at the venue.
The hotel has been owned by the Watson family since 1976. Along with 13 self-catering chalets, the well-regarded venue boasts a health club and an Elemis spa as well as extensive conference and wedding facilities.
The refurbishment programme, which finished at the end of April, took around 18 months to complete.
The hotel’s main a la carte restaurant, which had been known as Silks, has been completely transformed. Gone is the horse-racing theme, to be replaced with a rich, contemporary colour scheme and a new name – Kove.
The Riverside Room on the lake-side of the hotel building has also been renewed – providing plush new surroundings for conference gatherings and family get-togethers.
A comfortable new conservatory area has been created that links the hotel’s public areas with its function room facilities.
And the hotel’s lounge and grill bar have been completely revamped. With space for between 120 and 130 guests, this is one of the busiest areas in the hotel. It’s been given a total makeover with new carpets, new furniture and new bar facilities, creating a welcoming and contemporary new ambience in the space.
The lounge and grill bar was closed to the public for three-and-a-half weeks to allow the work to be carried out and it opened again at the end of April.
“We’re absolutely thrilled to be celebrating 40 years in business,” Killyhevlin director, Jacqueline Wright, said recently. “We’ve grown from strength to strength over the last four decades and we’re delighted to remain one of Northern Ireland’s leading hotels.”
Paying tribute to staff for their dedication throughout that time, she added:
“The last 40 years have been both fun and hard work and we as a team are excited by our future plans with plenty more to come, including a £1.5m investment in our chalet redevelopment later this year.”
Speaking to LCN this month, hotel general manager, David Morrison revealed that the public’s response to the new-look Killyhevlin has been “extremely positive”:
“People have been telling us that they think it’s beautiful and very relaxing,” he added. “It’s just a completely different place since the refurbishment programme went ahead.”
David believes that investment such as this is essential if hospitality venues are to retain their competitive edge:
“I think in business nowadays there is certainly a very definite need to ensure that your facilities are A1,” he added. “A lot of that stems from the fact that when people go out, they want to see nice things and be in attractive surroundings, well furnished, finished to a high standard and something that is different to what they see the rest of the time at home.”
The Killyhevlin Lakeside Hotel came into the Watson family’s ownership in 1976. Archie Watson and his wife, Pearl bought the Drumsill House Hotel in Armagh in 1970 and then moved to Fermanagh six years later after acquiring the new hotel.
Originally owned by Raymond B. McCartney, the hotel was a successful 30-bedroom venue when the Watsons bought it and in the years since, there have been three major expansions to the premises, excluding the current project. In 2005, £4m was spent to add leisure facilities to the venue along with 30 new bedrooms.
Trading throughout the Troubles, the Killyhevlin was targeted by the Continuity IRA in 1996 when they detonated a 1400lb bomb there, destroying a large part of the fabric of the newly-refurbished building and injuring 17 people. It took the family around a year to put right the damage caused by the blast, but they traded throughout by keeping their function room and a small number of bedrooms open.
These days, the hotel employs more than 100 staff and provides a valuable hub for local activities as well as an appealing destination for holidaymakers and those on shortbreaks.
David Morrison has held the GM’s position at the Killyhevlin since 1996 and he believes that there are a number of things that set the hotel apart in a busy local market:
“I think one of them is our spectacular setting with views out across Lough Erne,” he says “Another is that this is a family-owned business, we take pride in putting our customers to the fore, that’s very important to us, and I think these things, together with good food, of course, have a lot to do with keeping us busy.”
David says that the priority at the Killyhevlin now is to work through the busy summer period before shifting the focus to the planned £1.5m refurbishment of the venue’s self-catering chalets in November.
“The ultimate vision for the Killyhevlin is for us to be regarded as the leading relaxation and wellness destination in the region, recognised for the excellence of our food, our accommodation and the overall experience and to be the place of choice for the local community,” adds David.
“I am confident about the future. At the end of the day, it’s like anything in life. If you work at it, you can deliver. It’s our job to stay ahead of the game and see things happening before they happen so that we’re able to take the right action in time.”
