Location, location, location seals the deal

Julie Kenwell • Published 22 Nov 2012 13:00 0 Comments

THE Lough Erne Resort's "beautifully located property" and "unique accommodation" are just some of the factors that sealed the G8 Summit deal for Fermanagh, according to General Manager, Ferghal Purcell.

Speaking to The Impartial Reporter yesterday an overwhelmed Mr Purcell said the events of the last 48 hours were only beginning to sink in.

He and other members of staff at the five-star luxury resort welcomed the UK Prime Minister to their doorstep early on Tuesday morning for a private and detailed tour of the property before the official announcement was delivered.

Well aware of the magnitude of the two-day meeting on June 17 and 18 next year, Mr Purcell said work was already underway to address the damage caused to the spa/pool area of the resort following a fire on Monday morning.

"We will be ready long before June comes," he assured, "The exact nature of the fire hasn't been determined yet but it was not a significant set back. We are addressing it as we speak."

According to the manager Mr Cameron, on his whirlwind visit to the resort, had remarked it was "one of the best properties in Northern Ireland".

But he insists he had to wait, just like everyone else, to learn officially that Lough Erne Resort would be hosting Northern Ireland's first ever G8 Summit.

"We weren't even aware until the last moment that he was coming to the hotel," he explained, "He did a walk about of the property. He wanted to get a sense of the whole estate and the accommodation opportunities. We were blessed that the sun shone for the time period that he was here too! But like everybody else we only knew when it was confirmed yesterday morning.

"We knew that the Foreign Office were looking at a number of venues including our own. But we were keeping our fingers crossed right up until the announcement. We feel absolutely priviledged by the magnitude of the honour that has been bestowed upon us. For Lough Erne Resort, Enniskillen and Northern Ireland this is going to be an unprecedented event -- nothing like this has ever happened here before nor will again in our life time.

"When I briefed the staff later yesterday they were just in total shock and this morning everyone is just giddy and excited," he added.

Tweet

This article appeared in Impartial Reporter 22 Nov 12

Post a comment

Your Comment:

Registered users log in here

Username or email

Password

You must be logged in to post. If you have not registered with us, please do so now.

Registration only takes a few minutes. Registered users do not have to complete word verification once logged in and can also take part in competitions and other registered user only features of the site.

Word Verification:
Enter the text as shown.

Return to the main index, get more from this section or browse our News archives.