Grand Hotel

Main Street (Tramore)

The Doneraile Restaurant, with its panoramic view of the sea, has become famous in Waterford for its food, extensive menus, and friendly professional staff. Dining here is an experience not to be missed.

Personal attention is guaranteed if you wish to hold a conference for 5 to 250 people. The hotel caters to your group's specific requirements and offers tailor made packages for each booking.

The hotel was built by Bartholomew Rivers, a wealthy banker, merchant and ship owner, as part of his plan to develop the little seaside village as a thriving tourist resort. By 1801, the Hotel was leased to a John Walsh, and for a time it was known as Walsh's Hotel, but an advertisement in the Waterford Mirror in 1807 referred to it as the Great Hotel, and the name stuck.

Sometime in the 1830s, the hotel was purchased by the Phelan family, who had been running a smaller hotel known as the Little Hotel. It was undoubtedly a big jump for them to move to the Great Hotel, but they were quite successful in turning around the fortunes of the premises, which had been declining since the death of Mrs. Walsh some years previously. Under John Phelan's guidance the hotel was returned to prosperity. He also acted as secretary to the Tramore Races, a position which seemed to go hand in hand with the hotel.

The hotel then changed hands a number of times before it passed to Margaret Kavanagh. In 1894, the writer P.M. Egan produced his well known History of Waterford, and wrote of the hotel as follows: "Miss Kavanagh's Great Hotel has the highest repute for possessing all the qualifications befitting a first class establishment."

The hotel was leased to Martin J. Murphy in 1897. He continued the tradition as secretary of the Tramore Racecourse and invested heavily in the old racecourse at the back strand. It was Murphy who changed the name of the hotel to The Grand Hotel and, in keeping with the name, he enlarged the hotel considerably with a building programme that commenced in 1907, the results of which can be seen to the right in the photographs above.

The Treacy family have refurbished the hotel extensively, so that it combines a very high standard of luxury with the elegance of a bygone age, and the tradition of efficient service in a warm and hospitable atmosphere has been maintained.

Public areas are non-smoking.

Waterford (10 km) - City centre.

By Car:
- From the Quay in Waterford City, follow the Cork road (N25) along the Quay and go straight through 4 sets of traffic lights.
- Pass the Land Registry office on your right and take a left at the fork in the road.
- At the Superquinn Roundabout, take the 2nd exit to Tramore and follow this road for approximately 10 km.
- At Tramore, take the 2nd exit at the next 2 roundabouts and the 2nd exit at the mini-roundabout.
- Go straight through the crossroads and up the hill.
- At the top of the hill, turn right. The Grand Hotel is on your left-hand side, where you will see a sign for The Doneraile Restaurant.