ReardonSmith win planning for revamp of historic hotel frequented by Reagan, Burton and Jackie O
– Alexander Marjanovic, ReardonSmith creative director
It was built as a grandiose home for an 18th-century archbishop, and later became a luxury hotel frequented by the likes of Ronald Reagan, Jacqueline Kennedy and Richard Burton. Now Ireland’s Cashel Palace Hotel is set to be given a new lease of life, courtesy of architecture and design firm ReardonSmith.
The building – designed in an Early Georgian style by Sir Edward Lovett Pearce, the architect of the Old Parliament House in Dublin – closed its doors in 2015 after its owners fell on hard times. However, plans are now in place to renovate and expand the building so it can open as a hotel once more.
The architects have gained conditional planning consent to transform Cashel Palace into “a world-class country house hotel for the 21st century with 61 bedrooms and suites, a ballroom and spa, and grand function areas suitable for the most special of occasions.”
The nearby town of Cashel is documented as a stronghold of ancient kings and has been revered as a significant ecclesiastical centre for over nine hundred years. As such, the design team have drawn on the significance of the site for their renovation of the hotel – which was originally called the Bishop’s Palace and was home to Archbishop Theophilus Bolton in the 1730s.
The design proposal focuses on the relationship of the existing red brick and limestone buildings with their surrounding gardens, and the integration of a busy luxury hotel with the town of Cashel.
The new cloister of bedrooms wings will echo the fabric of the town and a guestroom extension to the original building will be styled as “a sensitively contemporised version of the 18th Century vernacular."
The 25-acre estate is laced by an extensive network of walls, some of which date back to medieval times, and these played a key role in the design directions. Specialist consultants have joined the team to determine how best to restore and reinstate these elements, and to decide what could and should be removed.
The existing interface elements between the original building and subsequent additions made to the 20th Century hotel have also been reviewed and found to be unsympathetic to the character and symmetry of the Palace. As a result, the proposal seeks to replace these with minimal facades that “disappear” between the two buildings.
“We want the scale and orientation of the planned new buildings to ensure that a sense of hierarchy will be achieved in which the original property is respected and celebrated,” said ReardonSmith in a design statement.
Creative director Alexander Marjanovic said: “Our approach was holistic and contextual. The original Palace building is an architectural gem, in the heart of a historic town located by one of Ireland’s most significant sites.
“It was our task and privilege to create a masterplan that embraced all of this, giving these qualities a prominence that had been lost, while designing a modern hotel destination that could operate at the highest possible level well into the future.”
ReardonSmith Ireland Cashel Rock Cashel Palace Hotel architecture hotel designReardonSmith co-founder Conrad Smith dies
The Savoy targets celebrity guests by revamping its luxury suites
Hat-trick of ReardonSmith hotel renovations get green light in London
ReardonSmith and Alberto Pinto join forces to renovate London’s Lanesborough Hotel
GoCo Health Innovation City in Sweden plans to lead the world in delivering wellness and new science
Aman sister brand Janu debuts in Tokyo with four-floor urban wellness retreat
€38m geothermal spa and leisure centre to revitalise Croatian city of Bjelovar
Two Santani eco-friendly wellness resorts coming to Oman, partnered with Omran Group
Kerzner shows confidence in its Siro wellness hotel concept, revealing plans to open 100
Ritz-Carlton, Portland unveils skyline spa inspired by unfolding petals of a rose
Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners are just one of the names behind The Emory hotel London and Surrenne private members club
Peninsula Hot Springs unveils AUS$11.7m sister site in Australian outback
IWBI creates WELL for residential programme to inspire healthy living environments
Conrad Orlando unveils water-inspired spa oasis amid billion-dollar Evermore Resort complex
Studio A+ realises striking urban hot springs retreat in China's Shanxi Province
Populous reveals plans for major e-sports arena in Saudi Arabia
Wake The Tiger launches new 1,000sq m expansion
Othership CEO envisions its urban bathhouses in every city in North America
Merlin teams up with Hasbro and Lego to create Peppa Pig experiences
SHA Wellness unveils highly-anticipated Mexico outpost
One&Only One Za’abeel opens in Dubai featuring striking design by Nikken Sekkei
Luxury spa hotel, Calcot Manor, creates new Grain Store health club
'World's largest' indoor ski centre by 10 Design slated to open in 2025
Murrayshall Country Estate awarded planning permission for multi-million-pound spa and leisure centre
Aman's Janu hotel by Pelli Clarke & Partners will have 4,000sq m of wellness space
Therme Group confirms Incheon Golden Harbor location for South Korean wellbeing resort
Universal Studios eyes the UK for first European resort
King of Bhutan unveils masterplan for Mindfulness City, designed by BIG, Arup and Cistri
Rural locations are the next frontier for expansion for the health club sector
Tonik Associates designs new suburban model for high-end Third Space health and wellness club
Aman sister brand Janu launching in Tokyo in 2024 with design by Denniston's Jean-Michel Gathy
The Peninsula London unveils Peter Marino-designed spa inspired by London’s famous parks
First glimpses revealed of Mandarin Oriental, Mayfair's subterranean spa retreat
"Architecture is alive" says Ma Yansong, as Shenzhen art museum opens exhibition showcasing work of MAD Architects
Early-onset MS inspired Adria Lake to explore resilience as both a healing modality and an approach to design in the creation of her new home and company headquarters in Colorado
From climate change to resource scarcity, Exploration Architecture uses biomimicry to address some of the world’s major challenges. Its founder tells us how