Galway Bay Resort Hotel set to reopen its doors

The former Galway Bay Resort Hotel is set for a grand reopening more than a decade since closing its gates to the public.

The venue has been given the green light to go ahead with massive renovation works after Connacht Accommodations Ltd secured planning permission to undertake a project that will see the existing hotel expand and new leisure facilities be fitted.

Amongst the expected changes at the Oranmore resort is the conversion of the existing apartments at Renville into guest bedrooms, increasing the number from 92 to 145 rooms on site.

A new bar and leisure centre is also in the works boasting a swimming pool, gym and spa in a project that should inject the area with a new lease on life, not least for Galway Bay Golf Club who will look to take advantage of renewing links with a wider resort.

“The applicants now wish to bring the derelict building back into use by reopening the hotel, with the addition of new facilities, including a leisure centre, which will ensure its long-term survival,” the planning application states.

“A limited palette of materials is proposed for the new elements, with a combination of natural timber (cedar) vertical cladding, warm cut limestone (Portuguese, Jura or similar), aluminium curtain walling and green living walls, which will blend the new extension into the landscape”.

The hotel sits on the same site as the Galway Bay Golf Resort and it’s expected that vehicles will still enter and exit via the existing access road.

However, before any work commences on site, the developer must pay €28,886 to the council as a contribution towards public amenities serving the hotel.